# Are peanut Allergies a new thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530 "2011-02-16T02:01:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![spikebrennan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@spikebrennan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spikebrennan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530/61 "2011-06-14T02:16:11Z")
If it’s an American phenomenon, that might be related to the fact that the United States is basically the only country in the world that consumes peanut butter. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530/62 "2011-06-14T02:42:43Z")
I direct attention to [post 36](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13477137&postcount=36) for answers to some of the recently asked again questions. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530/63 "2011-06-14T09:26:37Z")
> [@spikebrennan](#): > > If it’s an American phenomenon, that might be related to the fact that the United States is basically the only country in the world that consumes peanut butter. Nonsense, peanuts are a common food in some areas of Africa [called ground nut frequently] and oddly enough purified peanut oil, commonly used industrially in cooking, is exempt from allergen labeling laws. A tiny little fact that frequently escapes peanutters. I do not doubt that there are a fair number of people that are deathly allergic to peanuts, but I think that number is far less than actual claimants. I seem to remember a 1-2% number being batted around. What is 2% of the total population of the US? 2% of 307,006,550 is 6 140 131. So what are the odds that there is more than one kid in a school system that will die if they are exposed to peanuts in any form, and how many peanutters are claiming their kids will die? AS has been pointed out previously on the dope, only people that are not in poverty have the luxury of being allergic to everything. When you are poor you eat what you can get. Odd how few allergies there are in impoverished countries.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530/64 "2011-06-14T10:46:33Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Well, I keep hearing that - and have never heard an example where a child was proven to NOT have the allergy his parents claimed. So I have to chalk that statement (wanting kids to be special) up to, well, :rolleyes:. Trust me, there are NO benefits to having your kid viewed as peanut-allergic when he isn’t. > > I don’t know the actual prevalence, but I do keep hearing that allergies in general (and autoimmune diseases in general) are on the rise possibly because with all the cleanliness and vaccines, our immune systems don’t have anything else to work on. Essentially, they get bored and find something to amuse themselves :D. > > As a parent of a truly peanut-allergic kid (known reactions to peanut exposures on several occasions, reactions to what we in hindsight thing was a peanut exposure on another), I can’t imagine why any parent would WANT their kid to be so labeled. I would surmise that it’s not so much faking it as it is people exaggerating. A moderate peanut allergy becomes a severe, life-threatening, can’t have peanuts in a 3 mile radius allergy. There is no benefit; there are many irrational parents. Not saying that’s the case for you or anything. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530/65 "2011-06-14T12:32:36Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I would surmise that it’s not so much faking it as it is people exaggerating. A moderate peanut allergy becomes a severe, life-threatening, can’t have peanuts in a 3 mile radius allergy. There is no benefit; there are many irrational parents. Not saying that’s the case for you or anything. The problem is that an allergy that caused a moderate reaction last time you were exposed can cause a severe, life threatening reaction on the very next exposure, and there’s no way to predict that. So anyone who has had a moderate reaction avoids all peanut exposure, gaining themselves the great benefit of avoiding anaphylactic shock. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530/66 "2011-06-14T13:04:45Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Mama Zappa writes: > > \> I don’t know the actual prevalence, but I do keep hearing that allergies in > \> general (and autoimmune diseases in general) are on the rise possibly because > \> with all the cleanliness and vaccines, our immune systems don’t have anything > \> else to work on. > > As I said in post #7. Very true - I hadn’t read the whole thread yet. If two such great minds as ours agree, it must be true!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530/67 "2011-06-14T13:33:54Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I would surmise that it’s not so much faking it as it is people exaggerating. A moderate peanut allergy becomes a severe, life-threatening, can’t have peanuts in a 3 mile radius allergy. There is no benefit; there are many irrational parents. Not saying that’s the case for you or anything. It’s also a viscous cycle: parents exaggerate because if they don’t, others don’t take it seriously: they may not give little Suzie a peanut butter cookie, but they give one to her playmate, which seems an acceptable risk if it’s “just” hives. So parents exaggerate to make others take it seriously and others don’t take it seriously because parents exaggerate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-peanut-allergies-a-new-thing/571530.md?page=3)