Are food allergies more common now? 6 Minute English

Improve your English vocabulary and speaking with 6 Minute English! Research has suggested that food allergies may be more common these days than they were in the last 20 or 30 years. Why might this be? Is it linked to our diet? And are there any signs that a child might go on to develop a food allergy as an adult? Neil and Rob discuss whether food allergies are becoming more common, and teach you new English vocabulary.
For the transcript and vocabulary, visit our website: www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/...
𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝟔 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬:
Is music getting faster?
• Is music getting faste...
What makes you happy?
• What makes you happy? ...
Improving your memory
• Improving your memory ...
High heels: fashion or oppression?
• High heels: fashion or...
𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲
𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬
medical problems that are caused by eating certain foods
𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬
detailed, thorough and accurate research
𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
a noun referring to how often or how frequent something is
𝐞𝐜𝐳𝐞𝐦𝐚
a medical condition of the skin
𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞
a large, noticeable rise in the number of something
𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
to say that one thing is the reason for another
[Cover: Getty Images]
#BBCLearningEnglish #6MinuteEnglish #LearnEnglish

[@ahmedabdalrhman282]

I put my improvement in English down BBC learning English and I feel there is a significant change now . Thx Neil & Rob

[@tannguyenvan1860]

Introduction Research has suggested that food allergies may be more common these days than they were in the last 20 or 30 years. Why might this be? Is it linked to our diet? And are there any signs that a child might go on to develop a food allergy as an adult? Neil and Rob discuss if food allergies are becoming more common, and teach you new vocabulary. This week's question One of the most common food allergies is to peanuts. What kind of food is a peanut? Is it: A) a vegetable B) a nut or C) a legume Listen to the programme to find out the answer. Vocabulary food allergies medical problems that are caused by eating certain foods robust studies detailed, thorough and accurate research prevalence a noun referring to how often or how frequent something is eczema a medical condition of the skin a significant increase a large, noticeable rise in the number of something to put something down to something to say that one thing is the reason for another Transcript Note: This is not a word for word transcript Neil Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil. Rob And, hello, I'm Rob. Neil In 6 Minute English we often talk about food, don’t we, Rob? Rob Oh yes! And I love food. It’s a very important topic. Neil We know that too much of the wrong kind of food can be bad for our health. But there is another way that food can be harmful for some people. Rob Yes, you’re right. Some people have food allergies. They can become very ill if they eat certain foods such as peanuts, shellfish, milk and so on. So, Neil, do you have any food allergies? Neil Fortunately I don't, but my daughter is allergic to tree nuts, and so she gets very ill if she eats those. Rob Oh dear! Well, it seems as if there are more food allergies these days, or more people have them. Or maybe it’s just in the news more. Neil Well, that’s a very interesting point because that is the topic of this programme. Before we find out more though, here is our question. One of the most common food allergies is to peanuts. Now, what kind of food is a peanut? Is it: A) a vegetable B) a nut or C) a legume Rob Oh, come on! A peanut is a nut! There’s a clue in the name there, Neil! But that would be too easy, wouldn't it? So I’m going to say that I’ve got no idea what a legume is, so that’s my answer. C. Neil I’ll have the answer at the end of the programme. To help answer the question as to whether food allergies are more common now, here’s Dr Adam Fox, who was speaking on The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4. Does he think there has been an increase? Dr Adam Fox I think we can be very confident if you look back over, say, 30 or 40 years that there are much more allergic problems around now than there were. So, for example, very robust studies that look at prevalence of things like eczema, food allergy do show really significant increases over 20, 30 years, for example. Neil
 Has there been an increase? Rob Well, yes. He says there have been significant increases. This means there has been a 'clear and obvious rise'. Neil Why does he think that? Rob He said that there have been robust studies. A study is a piece of research and if you say a study is robust, it means that it was 'very detailed and conducted thoroughly to a high standard'. Neil He said that these studies looked at the prevalence of a few things. Prevalence is a noun that refers to how common something is, how often it happens. Rob One of the things they looked at as well as food allergies was eczema. This is a skin condition that usually happens in childhood. The skin can get, red, itchy and painful over different parts of the body. Neil Here’s Dr Fox again. Dr Adam Fox I think we can be very confident, if you look back over, say, 30 or 40 years that there are much more allergic problems around now than there were. So, for example, very robust studies that look at prevalence of things like eczema, food allergy do show really significant increases over 20, 30 years, for example. Neil So what is the reason for the increase in food allergies? Is it genetics? Dr Fox again. Dr Adam Fox We certainly can’t put it down to genetics. And we now understand that there is a key role for eczema. So, there’s a pretty direct relationship between whether you’ve got eczema during infancy and your likelihood of getting a food allergy. Neil Is it genetics? Rob No, he says 'you can’t put it down to genetics' which means 'you can’t explain it' by genetics. Neil In fact, according to the research, if you have eczema as a child, you are more likely to develop food allergies. Here's Dr Fox one more time. Dr Adam Fox We certainly can’t put it down to genetics. And we now understand that there is a key role for eczema. So, there’s a pretty direct relationship between whether you’ve got eczema during infancy and your likelihood of getting a food allergy. Neil
 OK! Now, time to review our vocabulary, but first, let’s have the answer to the quiz question. I asked: what kind of food is a peanut? Is it: A) a vegetable B) a nut C) a legume What did you say, Rob? Rob I said C) a legume, because that was only one I didn’t know and it can’t be as simple as being a nut! Neil An inspired guess! If you said C) legume, then congratulations. Despite the name, a peanut is not actually a nut. Rather conveniently though, we don’t have time for me to explain exactly why it’s not a nut, but I’m sure you’re smart enough to look it up yourself. Rob So, you’re not going to explain it? Neil No, sorry, we don’t have the time. Rob Sounds to me like you’re allergic to hard work, Neil! Neil Nice link to today’s vocabulary. We do have time for that. Today we’ve been looking at the topic of food allergies. This is when a particular food causes a medical problem. Rob The problem could be minor or it could be very serious, even fatal and these are called allergic reactions. Neil The topic has been investigated with robust studies. This is research that has been done in a very detailed, accurate and thorough way. Rob The next word was the noun prevalence. This is used to talk about how common or how frequent something is. In this research, they examined the prevalence of food allergies in certain age groups. Neil Closely connected to food allergies is eczema. This is a medical condition that makes your skin dry, painful and itchy over different parts of the body. Rob It was reported that there had a been a significant increase in the number of people suffering from eczema and food allergies. A significant increase is a big and important increase. Neil And finally we had the phrase to put something down to something. This means 'to say one thing is the reason for another'. In this case, you couldn’t put the increase in food allergies down to genetics. Rob You know what I put the success of 6 Minute English down to? Neil No, what's that, Rob? Rob Your great knowledge of different subjects and skill as a presenter and communicator. Neil Well, that’s very kind of you… but I still don’t have time to explain what a legume is! In fact now it’s time to wrap up this edition of 6 Minute English. We look forward to your company again soon. In the meantime, check us out in all the usual places, online and on social media. We are BBC Learning English. Bye for now! Rob Goodbye!

[@Peaking94]

Too long! 👏👏

[@eurlovegisbert6846]

thanks

[@cucnguyen6265]

Thank you so much ❤️❤️

[@mariamkamal]

Legume is a word used to describe any plant that has its seed in a pod. So pea, soybeans, chickpea, tamarind, lentil and beans are legumes.

[@mohamedfathy8050]

Thank to your useful reasons

[@phuocnhannguyen3589]

the word " legume" in french means " vegetables" lol

[@mariamkamal]

@@phuocnhannguyen3589 No worries! Both legumes and veggies are SUPERFOODS :D

[@ismailk2094]

I love food & thank you to both of you.

[@EasilyEggless]

Thanks Rob & Neil for an interesting topic. My son has an EGG Allergy which is difficult to manage especially at children’s birthday parties.

[@tgchan]

Thank you.

[@ferasaljarad3479]

If I don't see BBC vedio every day I will have an allergic reaction. Thank you Neil. Rob

[@airportshotels3060]

Interesting!

[@henriquebirinaite]

I'm allergic to intolerance. Thanks a lot, Neil and Rob!

[@herishbrifki7552]

Actually useful topic!

[@tongyao9913]

Thanks~

[@paolosaracino4874]

I can say that lots of food are treated by using chemicals. For example when we talk about vegetables, chemicals are useful to grow them quickly and on the better way. Consequently, over time, tiny quantities of these substances might end up into our body, developing an allergy reaction. That’s my opinion. Thanks for your video.

[@bbclearningenglish]

It's an interesting opinion too! Thank you for sharing!

[@paolosaracino4874]

Pursuit English Hello Teacher 👋🏻. First, I’ve got to thank you for your correction. Secondly, I think the risk of developing an allergy in general depends on our body. We’ve got to bear in mind that our body has a defence system that is diverse from one person to another. Therefore, the stronger that is, the higher possibility is of getting those substances off our body. Obviously, I’m sorry for my mistakes 😅, but I need to improve my English skills 💪🏻. Lots of greetings from Lecce ( Italy). All the best, Paolo!

[@sajithumayanga6032]

I love to hear BBC , English episodes. Thanks BBC . 😍

[@bbclearningenglish]

You're welcome, Sajith Umayanga. For more useful videos, guides and quizzes, visit our website: www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/

[@edgarhakobyan9782]

I've been waiting for my allergy test results for more than three weeks. I'm being tested for dust, dust mite, mould allergy. GP put my the fact i have sore throat down to possible allergy.

[@sasikalasenani4925]

some food allergies happen because excessive eating of specific kind of food which is not commonly identified as is allergic food.

[@ismailk2094]

BBC should bring food channel soon..

[@bbclearningenglish]

That's not a bad idea!

[@ferasaljarad3479]

Allergic reaction may happen due to a lot of foods , medicens( like penicillin, sulfate,..) and insects bite , so Allergic reactions are related to specific proteins which are responsible for allergy . And I think Eczema itself is genetic disease.

[@letsplayroblox6062]

I think it's common. I know many people who are allergic for dood. I am not allergic but i can imagine how hard it can be like. I mean that you can't eat all the foods you want and you eat foods which is allowed to you. My little brother choose foods which he can eat. He is allergic too. When it happens his skin gets sick. It starts annoying him. He even can have insomnia because of it. Thanks BBC♡

[@paramdeepkaur6221]

Can dis channel help to get ielts 8 band?

[@user-gh1ky9en1x]

Kindly bbc can you put the text conversation at subscrib

[@lwnaALiraq]

❤️❤️❤ ♡ ♥ ღ ❣ ❥ ❦ ❧ ლ 💖Thank you "BBC Learning English" ,,,

[@irenefang246]

my note while listening the topic of today is whether food allergies are becoming increasingly common now. From Dr. Adam Fox’s statements: the answer is definitely yes As we look back in 30 or 40 years ago, there are more cases of allergic problems than there were According to a robust study, a significant increase has been shown in the prevalence of allergic reactions and eczema in recent years In terms of the cause of allergies, we can’t put it down genetics. Instead, there is a direct relationship when you got eczema during infancy, you’re likely to have it in adulthood.

[@alext3760]

I think Robust is used quite loosely here. Look it up in Oxford dic and I don't see this meaning for studies or researches.

[@marrysami889]

I am extremely allergic to egg , if I eat it on breakfast I feel severe pain in my stomach and that's really bothering me because I like eating egg 😫😫😫😫😫

[@laphoangkim4784]

3:02 3:18 5:29 put sth down to 3:10 infancy (~childhood) 3:13 your likelihood of 3:33 the key role for 4:43 fatal 4:56 prevalence

[@trungduchua1786]

👏👏

[@omonovshodiyor532]

Hello this is six minute english I'm Neil and I'm Sam😅

[@jacobclark89]

I think many times what we call an allergie is actually a buildup of things that on a micro scale is needed or at least tolerated in the body but in larger amounts are toxic or deadly . I started having a reaction to eggs and onions after eating egg sandwiches every single day for years , and I became so sensitive that I almost died from not being able to breathe from a very small amount . But I did an elimination diet to figure it out and by not eating that for several years have become much less sensitive ! I think the culprit was a buildup of sulfur . I just wanted to let people know that there sensitivity , maybe reversable , by eliminating the rite foods

[@joyforall7973]

I'd rather the two -years -ago method when you affiched all the vocabulary

[@ramanpreetkaur6229]

💖👍

[@LoveAlwaysLaDay]

Definitely a legume. My child is so allergic to nuts that he can't even eat peas and green beans.

[@eurlovegisbert6846]

Some Spanish people like me don't understand "tree nuts" in place to "nuts". peanut is a legume, and as to whether it's a vegetable, I was thinking legume were vegetables, weren't they?

[@English5minutes]

Bad ecology and bad food causes allergies 🙁

[@ttteng7728]

good

[@miray9408]

I have gluten allergy😑

[@simonececcolini87]

Peanuts are legumes... Wooo amazing

[@shivakumarm9577]

Eczema ,robust study,prevalence ,To put down something to something

[@khalilhammami6180]

Im allergic to flowers.

[@mohitrawat1858]

I am allergic of eggs.

[@bbclearningenglish]

Remember to use 'to' after allergic, mohit Rawat: 'I'm allergic to eggs'

[@mohitrawat1858]

@@bbclearningenglish thank you so much.

[@nobodyisprfct]

It's quite easy to answer this question. YES! increase injuries = increase antibiotics and the new antibiotics since 2009 have done something to the Human gut! After 30 years of being able to eat peanut butter. I can no longer eat this product. I can no longer eat trail mixes either. Last i read allergies start at birth. You do not all of a sudden get an allergy for no reason. Fermented foods is a big help. Science has ruined the human body.

[@rachelgreen7830]

Are you allergic to anything?