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 .
Maternal diet during pregnancy in relation to eczema and allergic sensitization in the offspring at 2 y of age.
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 prospect i ve birth cohort study ( LISA ) . Maternal diet during the last 4 wk of pregnancy was assessed with a semiquantitative food-frequency question naire , 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
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 .