#15 - Interview with Dr Ruchi Gupta - Prevalence of food allergies & managing food allergies in teens

Dr G and Kortney sit down live from Portland Maine to interview Dr Ruchi Gupta!

 

You may know her from the Netflix series Rotten, where she appears in the Peanut Problem episode. Or you may know her name from the article that came out in early 2019, Prevalence and Severity of Food Allergies Among US Adults, which stated that 1 in 10 adults have food allergies. 

 

Dr Ruchi Gupta, has more than 15 years experience as a board-certified paediatrician and health researcher. She currently serves as the director of the Science and Outcomes of Allergy & Asthma Research Program (SOAAR), where she is actively involved in clinical, epidemiological, and community-based research.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• Prevalence of food allergies in kids and adults. 

• What are the top allergens for kids and adults, how do those differ from adults  

• What are the common allergens that children tend to outgrown 

• Adult-onset food allergy: How did the recent study done by Dr. Ruchi Gupta figure out 1 in 10 adults have food allergies?

• 20% of adults reported having an allergy - why we need to pay attention to that number and what it means. 1 in 5 adults are giving up food that negatively impacts them

• Allergy testing: when should be testing done and what should be tested

• Understanding allergy testing and the problem with allergy testing at this time 

• How to accurately diagnose an allergy 

• When it is appropriate to take a specific food out of your diet.

• Allergies in teens - what is helping and hindering managing their food allergies and the role of peers and classmates 

• The importance of building a community, especially for college-bound teens. 

• What allergy kids and teens think the positives are of having food allergies

Supporting info: https://www.itchpodcast.com/post/episode-15