Charles Schulz launched the “Peanuts” cartoon on October 2, 1950, in seven newspapers. Eventually it appeared daily in 2,600 papers in 75 countries. The funny and often poignant responses of Charlie Brown and the other Peanuts characters resonated with adults, not just kids.
According to a Northwestern University survey published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, peanuts can do that. Researchers have discovered that more adults than kids have a peanut allergy! In fact, 4.5 million Americans over the age of 17 have the condition -- and many developed it as grown-ups. Sadly, they are sidelined when it comes to management of the condition.
While the Food and Drug Administration recently approved an allergy therapy (Palforzia) for kids 4 to 17, there are no therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adult-onset food allergy. That leaves many of the approximately 900,000 adults who end up in the ER every year with a reaction to peanuts without all the help they need. According to the study, too many folks 17 and older are not receiving essential counseling and a prescription for life-saving emergency epinephrine. Compounding the problem: Two-thirds of adults with peanut allergy have at least one other food allergy, often to tree nuts or shellfish.
If you suspect you have a peanut allergy, see a doctor pronto for a diagnosis and treatment. If you are diagnosed but don’t carry an EpiPen (injectable epinephrine) to counter an allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock), start doing it now -- all the time, everywhere. And check out foodallergy.org for more info on adult food allergies.
Teach -- and feed -- your children well
When Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sang “Teach Your Children Well” in 1969, they were imploring parents to raise children with “a code to live by.” More than 50 years later, we still need to be reminded of how important that is -- especially when it comes to kids’ nutritional code of conduct.
Two new studies reveal that the food choices kids make -- and that parents make for them -- can lead to serious health problems as adults. The first, published in JAMA Cardiology, found that adolescents ages 12 to 18 with elevated lousy LDL and triglyceride levels are headed for coronary artery calcification in their 30s and 40s. That means they’re at risk for premature stroke, heart attack and dementia.
The second study, done in a lab, indicates that eating too much fat and sugar as a child can cause a lifelong disruption in your gut biome, affecting everything from glucose regulation to immune strength. And, say the researchers, it’s not easy to repair a biome once the damage is done. That may be why you may need to take probiotics long-term. Stop taking them and the microbes you’re beneficially introducing into your gut often fade away.
Bottom line: Feed your kids whole, high-fiber foods, largely unprocessed, with no added sugars or syrups, only 100% whole grains and lean proteins (max one serving of red meat a week and no processed red meats). Then they’ll have a fighting chance to avoid America’s epidemic of diabetes and obesity. That’s a code to live by!
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer Emeritus at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
