Only half of Americans who think they have food allergies actually do

About one in five Americans think they have a food allergy, while the actual prevalence of food allergies is closer to one in 10. That’s the major finding of a new large-scale study published in the JAMA Network Open and led by Dr. Ruchi Gupta from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University. Gupta’s survey of more than 40,000 American adults found that while nearly 19 percent believe they’re food allergic, only about 10.8 percent, or 26 million Americans, were food allergic at the time of the study. “While we found that one in 10 adults have food allergy, nearly twice as many adults think that they are allergic to foods, while their symptoms may suggest food intolerance or other food related conditions,” Gupta said. “It is important to see a physician for appropriate testing and diagnosis before completely eliminating foods from the diet.” The study stresses that people with suspected food allergies undergo testing for confirmation to avoid eliminating potentially healthful foods from their diet and impacting their quality of life.