Does Nut Consumption in Pregnancy Mean an Allergic Baby?
Does Nut Consumption in Pregnancy Mean an Allergic Baby?
Among all children, the study found an inverse correlation between maternal peanut and tree nut intake and the age at which nuts were introduced into the child's diet. Mothers in the highest intake group (≥ 5 servings per week) were more likely than other mothers to introduce nuts into the child's diet early. However, the subgroup of mothers who had peanut or tree nut allergies themselves were more likely to introduce nuts into their child's diet after 2 years of age. Except for maternal history of food allergy, no other variables were associated with maternal intake of nuts around the time of pregnancy.
In multivariable analyses that controlled for demographic, dietary, and allergy history variables, the children whose mothers were in the highest category of nut consumption during pregnancy had the lowest odds of nut allergy (odds ratio [OR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34-0.99). However, knowing that allergic mothers were less likely to eat nuts and introduce nuts early to their children, they investigators stratified the analyses by maternal allergy history.
In the stratified analysis, the observed potential protective effect of maternal nut consumption was found only among nonallergic mothers. Among the children of nonallergic mothers, the OR that the offspring of a mother who was in the highest category of nut consumption during pregnancy would develop a nut allergy was 0.31 (95% CI, 0.13-0.75). Among nut-allergic mothers, consumption of nuts was not associated in either direction with the odds of nut allergy in the offspring.
The investigators concluded that frequent consumption of nuts in the time around pregnancy is associated with reduced odds of nut allergy among offspring, but the benefit is confined to mothers without a history of nut allergy.
This is a very interesting article for the generalizable data that it provides. Many previous studies have tried to address associations between maternal dietary intake during pregnancy and food allergy. Many of those studies involved much smaller numbers of children, and they tended to be studies of referral populations, starting with children already identified as allergic.
If Frazier and colleagues had focused on just the population of children who had allergic parents, the conclusions might be inconclusive, with the suggestion that nut exposure during pregnancy might be harmful. However, the real value of their study lies in the fact that only about 2% of the mothers had nut allergy and about 5% had other food allergies. That means that for most mothers, these results are probably generalizable and that peripregnancy nut exposure actually seems protective, with a dose-dependent inverse association with the odds of offspring becoming allergic. Therefore, among the nonallergic mothers in this cohort, increasing exposure to dietary nuts during pregnancy resulted in successively lower odds of nut allergy in their offspring.
Abstract
Study Findings
Among all children, the study found an inverse correlation between maternal peanut and tree nut intake and the age at which nuts were introduced into the child's diet. Mothers in the highest intake group (≥ 5 servings per week) were more likely than other mothers to introduce nuts into the child's diet early. However, the subgroup of mothers who had peanut or tree nut allergies themselves were more likely to introduce nuts into their child's diet after 2 years of age. Except for maternal history of food allergy, no other variables were associated with maternal intake of nuts around the time of pregnancy.
In multivariable analyses that controlled for demographic, dietary, and allergy history variables, the children whose mothers were in the highest category of nut consumption during pregnancy had the lowest odds of nut allergy (odds ratio [OR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34-0.99). However, knowing that allergic mothers were less likely to eat nuts and introduce nuts early to their children, they investigators stratified the analyses by maternal allergy history.
In the stratified analysis, the observed potential protective effect of maternal nut consumption was found only among nonallergic mothers. Among the children of nonallergic mothers, the OR that the offspring of a mother who was in the highest category of nut consumption during pregnancy would develop a nut allergy was 0.31 (95% CI, 0.13-0.75). Among nut-allergic mothers, consumption of nuts was not associated in either direction with the odds of nut allergy in the offspring.
The investigators concluded that frequent consumption of nuts in the time around pregnancy is associated with reduced odds of nut allergy among offspring, but the benefit is confined to mothers without a history of nut allergy.
Viewpoint
This is a very interesting article for the generalizable data that it provides. Many previous studies have tried to address associations between maternal dietary intake during pregnancy and food allergy. Many of those studies involved much smaller numbers of children, and they tended to be studies of referral populations, starting with children already identified as allergic.
If Frazier and colleagues had focused on just the population of children who had allergic parents, the conclusions might be inconclusive, with the suggestion that nut exposure during pregnancy might be harmful. However, the real value of their study lies in the fact that only about 2% of the mothers had nut allergy and about 5% had other food allergies. That means that for most mothers, these results are probably generalizable and that peripregnancy nut exposure actually seems protective, with a dose-dependent inverse association with the odds of offspring becoming allergic. Therefore, among the nonallergic mothers in this cohort, increasing exposure to dietary nuts during pregnancy resulted in successively lower odds of nut allergy in their offspring.
Abstract
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