The modern Irish diet is “absolutely” increasing the number of deaths from allergic reactions, an expert has warned. 

According to Allergy Ireland, 29% of Irish people have some sort of an allergy - although the number is rising. 

Deaths due to allergic reactions, a phenomenon known as anaphylaxis, remain rare and occur in one in one to three million people each year. 

On Lunchtime Live, consultant allergist Dr Ranbir Kaulsay said while deaths may be rare, allergic reactions are on the rise. 

“We have diversified our diet so much from what we were used to and what we were brought up to eat,” he explained. 

“For example, you can see the increase in the number of vegetarians in the world. 

“With vegetarians, you can see there’s a huge increase in the amounts of nuts and seeds that they would eat. 

“As a result, we’ve got a whole lot of different, new foods that one would be exposed to.” 

A chef cooks in a restaurant kitchen. Picture by: FreeProd / Alamy Stock Photo

Dr Kaulsay continued that all this means that people in 2025 are “absolutely” more at risk of severe allergic reactions than in previous generations.  

“Thankfully, the fatalities per year haven’t gone up too much because we’ve had a lot better treatments out there,” he said.  

“There’s a lot of availability of adrenaline injectors, people are a little bit more aware, hospitals are more aware and school staff…. they are more aware of food allergies. 

“So, that’s a good thing.” 

Dr Kaulsay added that extreme weather caused by climate change is also having an impact. 

“We’re getting severe hay fever and so forth,” he said. 

“At this point, we’re right in the middle of the grass pollen season as well. 

“So, there’s a lot going on.” 

Mitigation

Dr Kaulsay continued that officials have taken important steps to minimise the risk for people who have allergies. 

“There’s a mandatory labelling law now that we have to label 14 of the top few allergens and that has been made mandatory throughout the EU,” he said. 

“That’s been quite helpful in helping people to identify what they might be consuming on an ongoing basis. 

“Otherwise, we had a lot of problems in the past.”

Main image: Close up to nuts. Picture by: Alamy.com.