8%

Percent of U.S. children under 18 with food allergy, or about 5.9 million children, according to a new study in Pediatrics. Of those, about 39% have severe or life-threatening allergies, and 30% are allergic to more than one food. Past estimates had put the food-allergy rate at 2% to 8%. The most common allergy-triggering foods are peanuts (affecting 25% of kids with allergy), milk (21%) and shellfish (17%). Black and Asian kids have higher odds of food allergy than white children, but white kids are more likely to have a confirmed diagnosis of allergy than black, Asian or Hispanic children. It's not clear why, but the difference may have to do with access to health care. [via CNN]