Abstract
Growing up in a farm environment is protective against allergy development. Various explanations have been put forward to explain this association. Fatty acids are regulators of immune function and the composition of fatty acids in the circulation system may affect immune development. Here, we investigate whether the fatty acid composition of cord serum differs for infants born to Farm (n = 26) or non-Farm mothers (n = 29) in the FARMFLORA birth-cohort. For comparison, the levels of fatty acids in the maternal diet, serum and breast milk around 1 month post-partum were recorded. The fatty acids in the cord sera from infants born to Farm mothers had higher proportions of arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6) and adrenic acid (22:4 n-6) than those from infants born to non-Farm mothers. No differences were found for either arachidonic acid or adrenic acid in the diet, samples of the serum, or breast milk from Farm and non-Farm mothers obtained around 1 month post-partum. The arachidonic and adrenic acid levels in the cord blood were unrelated to allergy outcome for the infants. The results suggest that a farm environment may be associated with the fatty acid composition to which the fetus is exposed during pregnancy.
Highlights
Infants who are growing up on small dairy farms are far less likely to become allergic than infants who are born in cities or in rural environments, but not on farms [1,2]
Cord blood cells from newborn infants born to mothers who live on dairy farms are more likely to produce cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ when stimulated ex vivo [3], suggesting that the farm environment provides immune priming signals already before birth
We have previously shown that a high proportion of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) among the serum phospholipids at birth correlates with a Nutrients 2019, 11, 238; doi:10.3390/nu11020238
Summary
Infants who are growing up on small dairy farms are far less likely to become allergic than infants who are born in cities or in rural environments, but not on farms [1,2]. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the ways in which the development of the immune system of an infant can be affected by a farm environment, including exposure to microbial products and/or the different diets of farming and non-farming families. Cord blood cells from newborn infants born to mothers who live on dairy farms (hereinafter referred to as ‘Farm mothers’) are more likely to produce cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ when stimulated ex vivo [3], suggesting that the farm environment provides immune priming signals already before birth. We have previously shown that a high proportion of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) among the serum phospholipids at birth correlates with a Nutrients 2019, 11, 238; doi:10.3390/nu11020238 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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