Despite several intervention trials involving modifications to the maternal diet , the effect of maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation in preventing food allergy remains unclear .
Summary Earlier introduction of allergenic foods is a promising intervention to reduce the risk of some food allergies in high-risk infants .
Purpose of review In the past decade , food allergy has been increasingly recognized as an important public health issue .
The role of maternal and infant diet in the development of food allergy has been a major focus of research throughout this period .
Recently , research in this area has moved from observational studies to intervention trials , and the findings from these trials have started to influence infant feeding guidelines .
In this article , we review recent studies of dietary interventions for preventing food allergy , summarize current knowledge and discuss future research directions .
Peanut, milk, and wheat intake during pregnancy is associated with reduced allergy and asthma in children.
BACKGROUND  Maternal diet during pregnancy may affect childhood allergy and asthma . OBJECTIVE We sought to examine the associations between maternal intake of common childhood food allergens during early pregnancy and childhood allergy and asthma . METHODS We studied 1277 mother-child pairs from a US prebirth cohort unselected for any disease . Using food frequency question naires administered during the first and second trimesters , we assessed maternal intake of common childhood food allergens during pregnancy . In mid-childhood ( mean age , 7.9 years ) , we assessed food allergy , asthma , allergic rhinitis , and atopic dermatitis by question naire and serum-specific IgE levels . We examined the associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and childhood allergy and asthma . We also examined the cross-sectional associations between specific food allergies , asthma , and atopic conditions in mid-childhood . RESULTS Food allergy was common ( 5.6 % ) in mid-childhood , as was sensitization to at least 1 food allergen ( 28.0 % ) . Higher maternal peanut intake ( each additional z score ) during the first trimester was associated with 47 % reduced odds of peanut allergic reaction ( odds ratio [ OR ] , 0.53 ; 95 % CI , 0.30 - 0.94 ) . Higher milk intake during the first trimester was associated with reduced asthma ( OR , 0.83 ; 95 % CI , 0.69 - 0.99 ) and allergic rhinitis ( OR , 0.85 ; 95 % CI , 0.74 - 0.97 ) . Higher maternal wheat intake during the second trimester was associated with reduced atopic dermatitis ( OR , 0.64 ; 95 % CI , 0.46 - 0.90 ) . Peanut , wheat , and soy allergy were each cross-sectionally associated with increased childhood asthma , atopic dermatitis , and allergic rhinitis ( ORs , 3.6 to 8.1 ) . CONCLUSION Higher maternal intake of peanut , milk , and wheat during early pregnancy was associated with reduced odds of mid-childhood allergy and asthma
Despite several intervention trials involving modifications to the maternal diet , the effect of maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation in preventing food allergy remains unclear .
Summary Earlier introduction of allergenic foods is a promising intervention to reduce the risk of some food allergies in high-risk infants .
Purpose of review In the past decade , food allergy has been increasingly recognized as an important public health issue .
The role of maternal and infant diet in the development of food allergy has been a major focus of research throughout this period .
Recently , research in this area has moved from observational studies to intervention trials , and the findings from these trials have started to influence infant feeding guidelines .
In this article , we review recent studies of dietary interventions for preventing food allergy , summarize current knowledge and discuss future research directions .