Association between healthy eating in pregnancy and allergic status of the offspring in childhood

Abstract

During the past few decades there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, including allergic disease. Changing lifestyle and subsequent diet may explain this increase seen in the prevalence of atopic disease. Epidemiologic evidence also suggests that diet may be key in the prevention of allergic disease. [1] There are 3 important characteristics in terms of the maternal diet that have been investigated for the prevention of allergic disease: (1) the role of particular nutrients, such as vitamins (A, D, and E), zinc, and fatty acids; (2) the role of particular foods, such as fruits and vegetables and fish; and (3) the total dietary intake, such as a Mediterranean diet or a healthy diet. Research using the healthy eating index tool, specific to the pregnancy diet, found no association between overall healthy eating score and recurrent wheeze in infants at the age of 3 years. [2] However, maternal intake of celery and citrus fruit specifically has been associated with an increased risk of sensitization to food allergens in 2-year-olds. [3] One case-control study found no effect of consumption of fish, butter, and margarine on the development of atopic sensitization in the offspring of allergic mothers; however, a protective effect of fish intake (2–3 times a week or more) was identified in the nonallergic mothers' group with the risk of food sensitization in the offspring reduced by greater than a third. [4] Thus, the question is whether the associations seen are due to the individual nutrients or foods or whether it is part of an overall nutritional composition of the weaning diet. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether maternal diet, specifically seafood intake during pregnancy, is associated with the infant's allergic outcomes in a well-characterized birth cohort with allergy at 3 and 10 years of age.