Reach her at juliewhittingtonrd@yahoo.com. Filed Under: Julie Whittington, Nutrition Tagged With: NutritionFood Allergies on the Rise October 1, 2009 by Southlake Leave a Comment More than 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies. Young children make up the highest percentage by age, with about one in 17 children under the age of 3 (5.6% of that age group) currently dealing with a food allergy. Children aged 1 to 18 represent about 4% of cases and adults represent a slightly lower 3.7% of cases, according to the Federal Register. And, while no cure has been officially found, there is new hope with current research that cures will be found in the near future. Duke University, for instance, is having good results with therapies to eliminate peanut allergies. And, luckily for many, most milk, egg, soy and wheat allergies are outgrown with age.