A Mother’s Diet can Affect her Child’s Allergy Risk
A new study published this month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests that prenatal diets high in vitamin D can reduce allergy risks in children. Vitamin D supplements, however, do not produce the same effect.
Over 1,200 mothers and infants participated in the study. Each child was followed until his or her 7th birthday. Turns out, a diet rich in vitamin D (about 8 ounces of milk each day during pregnancy) was associated with a 20% lower risk of “hay fever” in school-aged kids.
“Expectant mothers have questions about what they should eat during pregnancy, and our study shows that it’s important to consider the source of nutrients in a mother’s diet,” explained study leader Supinda Bunyavanich. Supinda works as an assistant professor of pediatrics, genomic sciences, and genetics at the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Besides milk, here are a few foods high in vitamin D:
• Eggs
• Fish
• Dairy
• Mushrooms
• Cereals
“This study may influence nutritional counseling and recommendations to expectant moms to include vitamin D-rich foods in their diets,”said Supinda.
Although the study did find a link between vitamin D intake and risk of hay fever in kids, it did not support a cause-and-effect relationship.
