Why have we seen such a dramatic increase in food allergies over the past 40 years? Why have we seen such a massive increase in Autism in that same time? Meanwhile, the percentage of babies born with genetic issues like Down Syndrome remain consistent.
In America, food allergies (FA) have increased over 400% in the past 20 years. That is an increase in the percentage of population with FA, not an increase in the number of cases. In that same time frame, the cases in Europe have almost doubled in percentage of population... but some researchers claim that those increases could be caused by modernization of medicine & reporting in Eastern Europe.
Still, the question remains. Why is it that I cannot remember ANYONE in my childhood who suffered from life threatening FA or Autism... and now, I know over a dozen cases of kids with one or both diagnosis?
Growing up, we had a very close family whose 2nd child was born with Down Syndrome. When I got to Baylor, I discovered that it was fairly rare to have grown up with a close family friend with Downs. Also when I got to Baylor, I first learned about people who suffered from life threatening food allergies. Up to that point in life, FA was just something that made you feel sick, throw up or have diarrhea. I had no idea that people could die from FA. I had to actually study and read to find out what the word "autism" was about.
30 years later, we have weekly reminders to NOT pack nuts in our kids school lunch, because it could kill other students. And it seems like everywhere you go, you find some kid "on the spectrum". The best research estimates that people born before 1966 may have had as many as 1 in 2,500 cases of autism. Of course the diagnosis and understanding of autism wasn't like it is today... so this is just based on the number of adults in that age group who currently are on the spectrum, and then adjusted using estimates. For those born before 1987, it is estimated that it could be as high as 1 in 1,400 people. The actual numbers of adults in that age group who are currently diagnosed is closer to 1 in 10,000... but the researchers are assuming that other mental health diagnosis would today be realized as autism. They also conclude that many in that age bracket have died an early death due to complications from their autism.
So let's just go with the most generous numbers and say that my age group has around 1 in 1,400 cases of autism. How did we go from that number to the current number of 1 in 36? That is a MASSIVE increase! In the past 20 years alone, we jumped from 1 in 150 to 1 in 36... what the hell is going on?
The exact causes of FA, autism and Downs are all unknown. There are many theories for each of them, and some risk factors have been identified for each as well. So how is it that the percentage of Downs has remained relatively constant at around 1%, while the percentages of FA and Autism have seen insane increases over the past 30+ years?
And just for fun... should we compare the percentage of Downs to the percentage growth of LGBTQ+?
Of course, I am not going to compare FA and Autism to LGBTQ+... since FA and Autism are real, biological diagnosis and LGBTQ+ is just a madness of the mind.
In America, food allergies (FA) have increased over 400% in the past 20 years. That is an increase in the percentage of population with FA, not an increase in the number of cases. In that same time frame, the cases in Europe have almost doubled in percentage of population... but some researchers claim that those increases could be caused by modernization of medicine & reporting in Eastern Europe.
Still, the question remains. Why is it that I cannot remember ANYONE in my childhood who suffered from life threatening FA or Autism... and now, I know over a dozen cases of kids with one or both diagnosis?
Growing up, we had a very close family whose 2nd child was born with Down Syndrome. When I got to Baylor, I discovered that it was fairly rare to have grown up with a close family friend with Downs. Also when I got to Baylor, I first learned about people who suffered from life threatening food allergies. Up to that point in life, FA was just something that made you feel sick, throw up or have diarrhea. I had no idea that people could die from FA. I had to actually study and read to find out what the word "autism" was about.
30 years later, we have weekly reminders to NOT pack nuts in our kids school lunch, because it could kill other students. And it seems like everywhere you go, you find some kid "on the spectrum". The best research estimates that people born before 1966 may have had as many as 1 in 2,500 cases of autism. Of course the diagnosis and understanding of autism wasn't like it is today... so this is just based on the number of adults in that age group who currently are on the spectrum, and then adjusted using estimates. For those born before 1987, it is estimated that it could be as high as 1 in 1,400 people. The actual numbers of adults in that age group who are currently diagnosed is closer to 1 in 10,000... but the researchers are assuming that other mental health diagnosis would today be realized as autism. They also conclude that many in that age bracket have died an early death due to complications from their autism.
So let's just go with the most generous numbers and say that my age group has around 1 in 1,400 cases of autism. How did we go from that number to the current number of 1 in 36? That is a MASSIVE increase! In the past 20 years alone, we jumped from 1 in 150 to 1 in 36... what the hell is going on?
The exact causes of FA, autism and Downs are all unknown. There are many theories for each of them, and some risk factors have been identified for each as well. So how is it that the percentage of Downs has remained relatively constant at around 1%, while the percentages of FA and Autism have seen insane increases over the past 30+ years?
And just for fun... should we compare the percentage of Downs to the percentage growth of LGBTQ+?
Of course, I am not going to compare FA and Autism to LGBTQ+... since FA and Autism are real, biological diagnosis and LGBTQ+ is just a madness of the mind.
ShooterTX