The Rise in Food Allergies

The article "Why are Food Allergies on the Rise in Children?" comes as no surprise to me. We are seeing the effects of what was dubbed "the hygiene hypothesis," first introduced in 1989 by immunologist David P. Strachan. The idea is that as we overuse cleaning products containing antibacterial compounds such as trichlosan, a phenolic found in everything from hand soap to kitty litter, we reduce the number of microbes both harmful AND beneficial we would normally come in contact with. The reduction in microbes has the unwanted effect of reducing the ability of our immune systems to maintain "memory" of microbial agents and making them more likely to overreact to stimulation when it does occur, resulting in hyperimmune responses ranging from hives to autoimmune diseases and food allergies. While this would not be as obvious in adults, it would be immediately visible in children, since their immune systems are still developing. Without constant, low-level stimulation, these youngsters would, in essence, become immunocompromized. We are victims of our own cleanliness.