Food Allergy Risk Factors

Food allergy risk factors include:

Age

Food allergies are most common in toddlers and infants. Older people have digestive tracts that better absorb food or the food components that trigger allergies. Allergies to milk, soy, wheat, and eggs are often outgrown, while those to nuts and shellfish are more likely to last a lifetime.

Family history

If asthma, eczema, hives, or hay fever are part of your family’s background, you are more likely to have a food allergy.

Other allergies

If you're already allergic to one food or already have another type of allergy, you have a greater risk of developing a food allergy.

A past food allergy

Although many food allergies that develop during childhood may disappear as you grow older, there is still a chance that it may return later in life.