Climate Change and Food Allergy: Adaptations and Risks at the Intersection of Environment and Health
Abstract
Climate change has emerged as a major global public health challenge, and its impact on allergic diseases, particularly food allergy, has received increasing attention. It enhances allergic exposure risks through multiple pathways, including alterations in the expression of allergenic proteins, shifts in the geographic distribution of allergenic species, increased allergenic microbial pollution, and changes in pollen exposure patterns that may exacerbate allergic responses. Furthermore, climate change could elevate individual susceptibility to food allergy via diverse biological mechanisms, such as impairment of host barrier integrity, disruption of immune tolerance homeostasis, and perturbations in early-life developmental processes. Additionally, climate change-induced loss of microbial and dietary diversity further promotes allergy sensitization, whereas the transition to plant-rich sustainable diets may bring additional allergy risks. This review systematically summarizes these potential mechanisms by which climate change elevates food allergy risks, aiming to provide a basis for food safety risk assessment and the development of scientific, targeted preventive strategies against allergic diseases in the context of ongoing global climate change.
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