Increased infant food diversity and the risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis up to 12 years of age

Abstract

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that more diverse complimentary feeding during the first year of life may reduce the risk of asthma and allergy in childhood. Aim: To investigate the role of food diversity during the first 12 months of life in the development of asthma and allergic rhinitis by 12 years of age. Methods: The Children of Western Sweden study enrolled 5,654 children at 6 months of age and followed them at ages 1 (response rate 87%), 4.5 (79%), 8 (72%), and 12 (64%) years. At recruitment and during follow-up, parents completed questionnaires that asked questions related to various risk factors for allergy and asthma, presence of allergy and asthma in the child, and infant feeding. We defined food diversity by counting the number of foods the child had received at 6 and 12 months and related these to asthma and allergic rhinitis risk at ages 1, 4.5, 8, and 12 years. Results: Increased food diversity at 6 months and 12 months was associated with reduced risk of asthma, although the results mostly did not reach statistical significance. Furthermore, increased food diversity at 6 months and 12 months was associated with a reduced risk of allergic rhinitis at ages four and twelve years. In particular, the risk of allergic rhinitis between ages 1 and 12 was reduced for having introduced four foods (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.95) and five foods (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.88) at 12 months, compared with less than 4 foods. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that increased food diversity during the first year of life may reduce the risk of allergic rhinitis up 12 years of age.