Scenes of a comic character swelling up after eating peanuts in Western TV shows have long been puzzling for many Chinese viewers, as few people in China meet those who have a severe peanut allergy（过敏反应）.
Their confusion can be explained by Chinese researchers in a new study that Chinese adults and children are more likely to be allergic to seafood, and less likely to be allergic to peanuts compared to people in the United States and Europe. "Animal-derived （动物源的） foods were the primary offending foods, especially shrimp, and skin symptoms were the most commonly reported unpleasant reactions," said the study. The difference means that cultural, dietary, industrialization and biological factors can play an important role in food allergy patterns, it added.
Chen Hongbing, a professor from the State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology at Nanchang University, who was involved in the study, said, "For instance, in a previous study on self-reported food allergies among children, seafood topped the list, followed by fish, eggs, fruits and milk." However, some research also puts wheat as one of the most common allergy triggers among the general population, eggs and milk are considered the most common allergens among infants and young babies. Chen said more research is needed to address these discrepancies（差异性） and to determine if various dietary habits across China result in varied food sensitivity.
Luo Xiaoqun, a doctor who was not involved in the studies at Fudan University's Huashan Hospital, said that the increasing rate of food allergies is a phenomenon observed worldwide, driven by changes in lifestyles, eating habits, as well as growing health awareness and diagnostic ability.
Reading allergen labeling on food packages is an easy way to protect consumers from potential allergy triggers. However, food allergen labeling in China is not obligated currently and labeling largely follows an international food regulations. "China has made improvements in devising food labeling standards in recent years, hopefully our findings can accelerate the process of making such labeling compulsory in the near future," Chen said.
