Common Food Allergies

Examples of common food allergies in adults include shellfish, eggs, and tree nuts (such as walnuts). Food allergies in children often include eggs, milk, and peanuts. Tree nuts and peanuts are the most common food allergies to cause a deadly reaction known as anaphylaxis.

 

An Overview of Common Food Allergies

More than 160 foods have been found to cause food allergies in sensitive individuals. However, eight major food allergens account for over 90 percent of all documented food allergies in the United States and represent the foods most likely to result in severe or life-threatening reactions.
 
These common food allergies include:
 
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
  • Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
  • Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
  • Peanuts
  • Wheat
  • Soybeans.
     
Food allergy patterns in adults differ somewhat from the patterns seen in children.
 

Common Food Allergies in Adults

In adults, common food allergies include:
 
  • Peanuts
  • Tree nuts (such as walnuts)
  • Fish
  • Eggs
  • Shellfish (such as shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab).
     

Common Food Allergies in Children

The most common food allergies in children are:
 
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Peanuts.
     

More Details About Common Food Allergies

Tree nuts and peanuts are the most common food allergies to cause deadly food allergy reactions called anaphylaxis.
 
Adults usually keep their allergies for life, but children sometimes outgrow them. Children are more likely to outgrow allergies to milk, eggs, wheat, or soy than allergies to peanuts, fish, or shrimp.
 
The foods to which adults or children usually react are those foods they eat often. In Japan,
for example, rice allergy is more frequent. In Scandinavia, codfish allergy is more common.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD