As an ingredient, sesame is pretty popular鈥� it's in tahini and sushi; it's in granola, sprinkled on bagels or used as a flavoring in an . But according to new research, this may be a problem for a substantial number of Americans.
While previous studies suggested sesame allergies of U.S. children and adults, new research in JAMA Network Open estimates the number of sesame-allergic Americans could be as high as .49% 鈥� around 1.6 million people.
The study's findings come at a time when the FDA is considering adding sesame to its list of top allergens that must be noted on food packaging. Last October, then-commissioner Scott Gottlieb on the "prevalence and severity" of sesame allergies in the U.S. to aid in its decision.
Luckily, a team of researchers led by , director of the Science and Outcomes of Allergy and Asthma Research Team at Northwestern Medicine Northwestern Medicine and a physician at Lurie Children's Hospital, already had data on hand 鈥� information from a national survey of food allergies they conducted between Oct. 1, 2015, and Sept. 31, 2016. For this study, researchers distributed surveys on food allergy diagnoses and symptoms to nearly 80,000 different people in over 50,000 households. To meet Gottlieb's request, all they had to do was pull out their sesame data and give it a look.
What they found: Of