Background The evidence on the relationship between diet diversity in early life and allergic outcomes was few and inconsistent. We sought to determine the association of food diversity in the first year of life with allergic outcomes in the second year. Methods Two thousand two hundred fifty‐one mother‐infant pairs from Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort (TMCHC) were involved in the study. Information on complementary foods introduction was obtained by telephone interview at 6‐ and 12‐month postpartum follow‐up. Any doctor‐diagnosed allergic diseases in the second year were recorded at 2‐year postpartum follow‐up. Food allergies in infancy were assessed and self‐reported by mothers at each postpartum follow‐up. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the effect of food diversity at 6 and 12 months of age on later allergic diseases and food allergy. Results A total of 135 (6.0%) infants reported allergic diseases at between 1 and 2 years of age. Independent of food allergy history of infants and other potential confounders, less food diversity at 6 months of age was associated with increased risk of later allergic diseases (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.04–4.50 for 0 vs. 3–6 food groups). By 12 months of age, significant inverse associations with later allergic diseases (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.03–5.32 for 1–5 vs. 8–11 food groups, and OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.16–3.37 for 6–7 vs. 8–11 food groups) and food allergy (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.29–3.42 for 1–5 vs. 8–11 food groups) were observed. Children with higher food diversity in both periods had the lowest risk of allergic diseases during the second year of life. Conclusions A more diverse diet within the first year of life was associated with reduced risk of allergic diseases at 1–2 years of age. Introducing higher diversity of foods from 6 to 12 months of age might be an effective strategy to improve the allergy outcomes of infants in later life.

Current results regarding the effect of folic acid (FA) supplement use on gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia are limited and inconsistent. We aimed to investigate whether FA supplement use was associated with GH and preeclampsia. Participants from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort with information on periconceptional FA supplement use and diagnosis of GH/preeclampsia were included (n=4853). Robust Poisson regression was used to assess the association of FA supplement use and GH and preeclampsia. Among the 4853 participants in this study, 1161 (23.9%) and 161 (3.3%) women were diagnosed with GH and preeclampsia, respectively. The risk ratio of developing GH was higher in women who used ≥800 µg/d FA supplement from prepregnancy through midpregnancy than nonusers (risk ratio, 1.33 [1.08–1.65]). After adjusting for social-demographic, reproductive, lifestyle factors, family history of hypertension, other supplement use, and gestational weight gain, the adverse association remained significant (risk ratio, 1.32 [1.06–1.64]). Restricting the analysis among women with normal weight, without family history of hypertension, and without gestational diabetes mellitus, the positive FA-GH association still existed. We did not find any significant association between FA supplement use and preeclampsia regardless of adjustment. High-dose (≥800 µg/d) FA supplement use from prepregnancy through midpregnancy was associated with increased risk of GH. Attention should be given to avoid the potential risk of GH due to inappropriate FA supplement use in women who are planning or capable of pregnancy.

AbstractIncreased plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels have been widely documented in patients with overt hypothyroidism; however, the significance of Hcy level changes in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) remains controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the Hcy status in patients with SCH compared with euthyroid subjects. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases prior to December 2019 to identify eligible studies and assessed the quality of selected studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Publication bias was evaluated by Begg’s test and Egger’s test. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to investigate the source of heterogeneity. A likely source of heterogeneity was the year of the study. All statistical analyses were performed with RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12.0 software. Our meta-analysis of twelve observational studies with 684 patients showed that those with SCH aged between 18 and 65 years old were associated with a slightly increased plasma Hcy level compared with euthyroid controls. The pooled result of the weighted mean difference (WMD) of increased tHcy levels was 1.16 μmol/l (95% CI: 0.51, 1.82; p=0.0005). The Hcy level in patients with SCH aged between 18 and 65 years old is significantly increased compared to euthyroid controls.

Key findings of the work: Maternal frequent intake of a sufficient amount (>3 times per week, or >50 g day−1) of yogurt in late pregnancy may benefit offspring by decreasing the risk of infantile eczema.

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