Maternal Diet During Pregnancy and Eczema

I always wonder what I did or ate during my pregnancy that gives me son eczema.  As my husband and myself do not have any history of allergies, we just cannot figure what else can cause my son’s eczema.  During pregnancy, it has never occurred to me that there is a relation between what I eat and the possibility of causing allergy for my baby.  It  seems there IS a relationship according to this recent study.   I find it very interesting as the study pin point the food which you should take and avoid during pregnancy.

Here is the abstract of the study:

Background:Maternal diet during pregnancy might be one of the factors that influences fetal immune responses associated with childhood allergy.

Objective:We analyzed the association between maternal diet during the last 4 wk of pregnancy and allergic sensitization and eczema in the offspring at 2 y of age.

Design:Data from 2641 children at 2 y of age were analyzed within a German prospective birth cohort study (LISA). Maternal diet during the last 4 wk of pregnancy was assessed with a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, which was administered shortly after childbirth.

Results:High maternal intake of margarine [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1. 49; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.04] and vegetable oils (aOR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.91) during the last 4 wk of pregnancy was positively associated and high maternal fish intake (aOR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.98) was inversely associated with eczema during the first 2 y in the offspring. High celery (aOR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.89) and citrus fruit (aOR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.53) intakes increased the risk of sensitization against food allergens. In turn, sensitization against inhalant allergens was positively related to a high maternal intake of deep-frying vegetable fat (aOR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.54), raw sweet pepper (aOR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.20, 3.90), and citrus fruit (aOR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.92).

Conclusions:We suggest that the intake of allergenic foods and foods rich in n–6 polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy may increase and foods rich in n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may decrease the risk of allergic diseases in the offspring.

Study done by: Stefanie Sausenthaler, Sibylle Koletzko, Beate Schaaf, Irina Lehmann, Michael Borte, Olf Herbarth, Andrea von Berg, H-Erich Wichmann, Joachim Heinrich for the LISA Study Group

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