Raising Awareness An Adult-Onset Issue

From eNewsletter 8/17/2026

We tend to think of food allergies as something that shows up in childhood, but a study from World Allergy Organization Journal suggests they're surprisingly common in older adults as well, and often overlooked.

Researchers found that roughly 7% to 14% of older people have some form of food allergy, depending on how it's measured. Food-related allergic reactions account for about 6% of emergency room visits and 4% of hospitalizations among Americans 65 and older. Yet allergy research has focused mostly on younger people, even though aging brings its own risk factors, an immune system that changes over time, chronic low-grade inflammation, nutrient gaps, and the many medications older adults tend to take.

The bigger concern is what allergies do to nutrition. Since the main way to manage a food allergy is simply to avoid the trigger, and common culprits include protein-rich staples like milk, eggs, fish, and peanuts, cutting these out can be risky for people who already struggle to eat enough. Many older adults don't get sufficient protein to begin with, so avoiding allergens on top of that can spiral into undernutrition, muscle loss, and physical decline.

In the U.S., about half of adults with allergies say theirs developed in adulthood. Aging can reshape the immune system in ways that trigger new allergies, sometimes linked to pollen cross-reacting with similar proteins in fruits and vegetables, or to slower digestion and common acid-reducing medications.

Please note that the study just focused on food allergies, not food intolerances. Food intolerances are much more prevalent than food allergies.

To read the rest of today's issue, please go to this page.