Huge increase in food allergies in Australia may be due to low vitamin D
Hypothesis: adolescent allergies associated with low vitamin D levels
Allergy statistics for many countries, not just Australia
5X increase in hospital admissions due to food allergies in children 1994-2005
eczema and hay fever up 3X in past 30 years
Overview Asthma and Vitamin D
There appears to be strong evidence that increasing vitamin D decreases asthma
Australia had a huge increase in Asthma in the 90’s (perhaps also due to low levels of vitamin D)
11 new reasons for vitamin D deficiency in the past 30-40 years Australia has several of them
1) Air conditioning - to avoid the intense UV from the sun
5) Want whiter skin - avoid dark skin color of the native Australians
6) Fear skin cancer – when should fear skin burn and fear lack of vitamin D
- Australia has been the sunscreen capital of the world for the past 4 decades
Food allergy epidemic in Australia June 2011
- 10% in Australia as compared with 5% elsewhere
Allergy Capital updated April 2011
19.6% of the population had at least one allergic disease
The highest prevalence of allergies is in the working age population, with 78% of people with allergies aged 15 to 64 years;
Average of 1.74 simultaneous allergies per person
Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) currently affects
1/10 children aged 6-7 years
1/6 children aged 13-14 years
2/5 adults
Asthma currently affects
1/5 children
1/10 adults
Eczema currently affects
1/6 children aged 6-7 years
1/10 children aged 13-14 years
1/14 adults
Australia: world's food allergy capital? Sidney Morning Herald - July 17, 2011
- This is the article which caused this webpage to be made
See also VitaminDWiki
Hypothesis – Australia has highest rate of food allergy due to avoiding the sun – Sept 2015
Half of Australian office workers insufficient vitamin D in the winter – Jan 2011
73 percent of Australians had too little vitamin D a decade ago – Dec 2011
Australia is considering cutting vitamin D testing – March 2011
Problem: 100X increase in vitamin D tests in a decade ==> increased costs
Solution: make the tests harder to get
Diabetes rising quickly in areas with recent air conditioning – June 2011
Most Australian GPs still believe the myth than 10 minutes of sun a day is enough – June 2011
Big increases in Myopia around the world recently
US 3 decades: Myopia 1.7X increase, nearsightedness 2.0X increase, blacks: 2.6X increase
Singapore 4 decade Myopia 3.6X increase
The increasing prevalence of myopia: implications for Australia PubMed 2001
Personal note by the Admin of VitaminDWiki
I wrote a booklet on Allergies in the 1980's
