Food allergies have risen in the United States over the last few decades. Research suggests that 40 years ago the prevalence of food allergies was less than 1% . But today that number is closer to 6% . But this trend is not present in all countries — and what people are allergic to varies globally. Today, we dive into the complex world of food allergies with Dr. Waheeda Samady . She's the Director of Clinical Research at Northwestern University's Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research.

Have a food science question? Email us at shortwave@npr.org .

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave .

Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts .

This episode

See Full Page