Latest Australian research, suggests ‘yes’! A study of 7600 Australian children found that they’re LESS likely to have peanut allergy, egg allergy and eczema in the northern states, which receive more sunlight.
The odds of having a peanut allergy were six times greater for children 8-9 years old in southern Australia and these children were twice as likely to have eczema. Children in the southern Australian states aged 4-5 years old were 2.5 times more likely to have a peanut allergy and also twice as likely to have eczema.
The study found that latitude didn’t effect rates of asthma.
The lead of the study, Associate Professor Katie Allen, says that the study suggest that sunlight may play a role in the growing incidence of food allergies and eczema, with less exposure to UV correlated with higher rates of allergy.
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