Eli5: Why are nut allergies and gluten intolerance so prevalent and serious in certain populations (like in much of the US), and negligible to the point of being even considered a myth in other parts of the world?

Question

Eli5: Why are nut allergies and gluten intolerance so prevalent and serious in certain populations (like in much of the US), and negligible to the point of being even considered a myth in other parts of the world?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Places like the US, Australia, and Europe have such great health care that we have managed to remove illnesses our bodies are designed to fight. This has caused our immune systems to search for other things to destroy. Our bodies recognize the presence of certain things, such as dust, mold, pollin, peanuts, or gluten and over respond to them. That is why seasonal allergies are much worse for us than places that still have regular breakouts of viruses we eradicated 100 years ago.