Researchers from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia looked at data on more than 7,600 children and how rates of food allergy, eczema and asthma varied depending on the area in which they lived.
They found that the younger children, aged four to five, living in the South of Australia, which gets less sunshine than the North, were more likely to have both food allergies and eczema.
Older children living in the same part of the country were six times more likely to have a peanut allergy and twice as likely to have eczema than those living in North Australia.
The researchers found no link between children’s asthma and where they lived.
Professor Katie Allen, who led the study, said, ‘The findings add weight to the hypothesis that sunlight might play a role in the increasing prevalence of food allergy and eczema.
‘This study has further highlighted the possible link between food allergies, eczema and where you live. The results of our study provides further motivation for research into possible casual links to UV radiation and vitamin D levels in this disease group.’
Further information
The study, Prevalence of eczema and food allergy is associated with latitude in Australia, is published in the February issue of the journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.