Association between maternal vegetable intake during pregnancy and allergy in offspring: Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Abstract

The association between maternal diet during pregnancy and allergy in offspring remains contentious. Here, we examined the association between maternal intake of vegetables and related nutrients during pregnancy and allergic diseases in offspring at one year of age. A cohort of 80,270 pregnant women enrolled in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study were asked to respond to a food frequency questionnaire during pregnancy and the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire at one year postpartum. The women were categorized into quintiles according to the energy-adjusted maternal intake of vegetables and related nutrients. Using the categorizations as exposure variables, the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined for the allergic outcomes, including asthma, wheeze, atopic dermatitis, eczema, and food allergy, in the offspring per quintile at one year of age. Of the 80,270 participants, 2,027 (2.5%), 15,617 (19.6%), 3,477 (4.3%), 14,929 (18.7%), 13,801 (17.2%), and 25,028 (31.3%) children experienced asthma, wheeze, atopic dermatitis, eczema, food allergy, and some form of allergic disease, respectively. The aORs of each quintile of maternal vegetable intake for all allergic outcomes were close to 1.0 compared to the lowest quintile. The lowest aOR was found in the association of maternal cruciferous vegetable intake with asthma (aOR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70–0.96) and highest was found in the association of maternal total vegetable intake with atopic dermatitis (aOR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.04–1.31). The risk of allergic outcomes for the various nutrients related to vegetable consumption was close to 1.0. The maternal intake of vegetables and various related nutrients during pregnancy had little or no association with any of the allergic outcomes, including asthma, wheezing, atopic dermatitis, eczema, and food allergy, in offspring at one year.

Food Protein-Induced Allergic Proctocolitis: The Effect of Maternal Diet During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding in a Mediterranean Population

“…An unexpected finding was the link of vegetable intake with FPIAP. Other studies associated maternal vegetable intake with allergy prevention ( 25 , 32 ), although offspring of women with a higher intake of total vegetables, folate-rich, and green and yellow vegetables were reported to have a higher risk of allergies, including FA ( 33 ). In countries where the MedDiet is widespread, vegetables are frequently incriminated in FA ( 34 – 36 ).…”

Nuts, vegetables, fruits, and protein dietary pattern during pregnancy is inversely associated with risk of childhood allergies: a case–control study

“…The researchers found that children of mothers who consumed less than 1.5 servings of leafy vegetables per day had a higher risk of wheezing compared to children of mothers who consumed more than 1.5 servings per day. This association was independent of other factors such as maternal smoking during pregnancy, family history of asthma, and birth weight 38 . Vegetables and fruits are rich in antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory compounds that may help to reduce the risk of allergic disease in offspring.…”

Maternal and infant serum carotenoids are associated with infantile atopic dermatitis development

“…Yuzaburo Inoue 1,2 Yu Yamamoto 3 Shigenori Suzuki 3 Shingo Ochiai 1,4 Akifumi Eguchi 5 Taiji Nakano 1 Fumiya Yamaide 1,6 Satomi Hasegawa 1 Hiroyuki Kojima 7 Chisato Mori 4,5 Yoichi Kohno 1 Hiroyuki Suganuma 3 Naoki Shimojo 1,5…”

“…However, previous studies evaluating the association between maternal vegetable intake during pregnancy and eczema in offspring have shown inconsistent results. [4][5][6] These studies did not measure the individual serum carotenoid levels of mothers or children and in breast milk; therefore, appropriate nutritional interventions in maternal and early infant intake of foods containing carotenoids to prevent AD remain unclear.…”