Pregnancy diet and allergies linked

Dr. Joachim Heinrich, of GSF-Institute of Epidemiology, Neuherberg, Germany, and colleagues studied associations between maternal diet during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy and allergies and eczema in offspring at age 2 years.

They analyzed data from 2,641 children. Overall, 17.7 percent of all children had doctor-diagnosed eczema at age 2. A total of 9.3 percent were sensitized to food allergens, most commonly milk and eggs, and 4.8 percent were sensitized to inhaled allergens.

After adjusting for potentially confounding factors, positive associations were observed between high maternal intakes of margarine and vegetable oils during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy and eczema during the first 2 years in the offspring.