Allergy Alert

With deteriorating air quality indoors and out, allergies are not just a spring thing.

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No, you’re not imagining it. Global data shows allergies from food to hay fever are on the rise – and not just due to higher awareness resulting in extra diagnoses. We now know that a total of 141 genes are responsible for our risk of developing asthma, eczema and hay fever. Yet it’s women who suffer most.

A 2017 study at the Medical University of Vienna found women are affected by pollen allergies, food allergies and asthma more frequently and severely than men. It’s all down to our hormones. Until age 10, boys are more allergy-prone. Once oestrogen production ramps up around age 10, girls become more vulnerable. Hormonal treatments such as the contraceptive pill and menopausal hormone therapy also contribute. Plus, women become more sensitive to environmental pollutants with age.