A new study revealed that children living in cities tend to have more food allergies than their rural counterparts. Ruchi Gupta, assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said that the higher population density corresponds with a greater likelihood of food allergies in children. This shows that environment has an impact on developing food allergies. The study included 38,465 children, 18 years and under, who comprised a representative sample of US households. Furthermore, the study revealed that a food-allergic reaction sends an American to the emergency room every three minutes.