Food Allergies Underscore Need for Health Insurance

10/31/2010

For many Americans, the importance of having health insurance is compounded by an allergy to one or more foods.

In fact, food allergies are more common than some people may think. According to a recent study from Johns Hopkins, about 7.5 million Americans - 2.5 percent of the population - suffer from at least one food allergy.

The data also found that children under 5 are twice as likely as those over the age of 20 to have a food allergy. However, food allergies can be extremely dangerous for people of all ages. There also appears to be a link between food allergies and asthma, noted the researchers.

"Our findings confirm a long-suspected interplay between food allergies and asthma, and that people with one of the conditions are at higher risk for the other," said Dr. Robert Wood, the senior investigator of the study.

As far as the allergies themselves go, peanuts are the most common source, followed by shrimp, eggs and milk. A number of sufferers do have more than one food allergy. however. Given the severe medical complications that food allergies can cause, it's important to shop around for the best and most affordable health insurance policy available.

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