A new study in the journal Pediatrics has found that approximately 4% of U.S. children under age 18 have a reported food allergy.

The researchers came to their conclusion after reviewing data from various government-run health surveys over the last several years.

They also determined that the number of cases of food allergies increased 18% from 1997 to 2007. However, the authors of the study note that the cause of this rise is unclear; it could be that some of this increase is related to increased awareness (and diagnosis) of food allergies by doctors and parents, rather than more kids developing allergies.

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