(Health Secrets) Surprisingly, the real cause of food allergies may be pesticides! Allergies to certain foods are clearly on the increase. and a new study suggests the real cause of food allergies may be pesticides in the water with which we are washing those foods down.
The study, which was published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, aimed to determine the real cause of food allergies by examining the link between a particular type of chemical known as dichlorophenols, which is commonly found in pesticides in our water supply, and the increased incidence of food allergies in the US.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that there was a 17% increase in food allergies between 1997 and 2007, . When researchers compared the bowel bacteria of healthy children with the bowel bacteria of children with allergies, they found a huge difference. This led them to investigate dichlorophenols, which are known to have an antibacterial effect. Their idea was that these chemicals may be killing the bacteria that occur naturally in the bowel and reducing resistance levels, a situation that may be the cause of food allergies.
What Did The Study Show?
The study looked at the participants of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006, and concluded that participants that had dichlorophenols in their urine were more likely to suffer from a variety of allergies than those that did not. More than 2,500 participants were found to have dichlorophenols in their urine, and of that figure 411 had been diagnosed with a food allergy, while 1,016 suffered from an environmental allergy.
The researchers were surprised to discover that the incidence of dichlorophenols in urine did not vary from rural to urban areas, suggesting that although tap water is likely to be the main source of these chemicals, they can also be ingested via fruit and fruit juices, as well as foods containing cocoa such as chocolate.
Dr. Jerschow who led the research pointed out that although this study only suggests a link between pesticide exposure and allergies, and doesn’t prove that pesticides actually cause allergies, the trend is strong enough for further research. He stated, “Previous studies have shown that both food allergies and environmental pollution are increasing in the United States. The results of our study suggest these two trends might be linked, and that increased use of pesticides and other chemicals is associated with a higher prevalence of food allergies.”
What Else Is In Our Water?
If the idea that your tap water contains allergy inducing pesticides has got you worried, you might want to know a little about the other unpleasant substances that are likely to have found their way into your water supply, including those that have been intentionally added.
- Fluoride is often added to drinking water in a misguided attempt to prevent tooth decay. In reality fluoride inhibits the action of enzymes in the body that are essential for good health. It may actually displace calcium, increasing dental decay in children, and in large amounts can lead to dental or skeletal fluorosis.
- Chlorine has been added to our water supply to effectively kill off waterborne pathogens such as typhoid and dysentery. Unfortunately it also kills the good bacteria that inhabit our digestive tracts, and combines with particles that occur naturally in water to create trihalomethanes which can play a role in cancer, low birth weight, birth defects, and miscarriages.
- Heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and aluminum often find their way into our water supply from old pipe work or as runoff from industrial sites and landfill. Heavy metals can suppress enzyme function, increasing free radicals activity and increasing the risk of heart disease or cancer.
- Microorganisms, mainly from human waste, often manage to remain in our water supply throughout the disinfection process and these may include E. coli, giardia, and cryptosporidium, which may cause gastrointestinal illness, and legionella which may cause pneumonia.
While it’s very important to stay hydrated and to choose water instead of other types of drinks such as coffee and soda, large amounts of unfiltered tap water can lead to widespread health problems. Installing a water filtration system in your living quarters can help to reduce the impact of the everyday chemicals that can be found in our drinking water supply.
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Published with permission from Alignlife.com. Original articles link is here.