UTRECHT, Netherlands—Women who eat apples and fish during pregnancy may reduce the risk of their children developing asthma or allergic disease, suggested a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, held in San Francisco recently (Thorax; in press). Researchers studied 1,212 children born to women who had filled out food questionnaires during their pregnancy. When the children were 5 years old, mothers filled out another questionnaire about the children’s respiratory symptoms and allergies, and food consumption. Children were given lung function and allergy tests. Lead researcher, Saskia Willers, M.Sc. of Utrecht University, Netherlands concluded at least until age 5, a mother’s diet during pregnancy may be more influential on a child’s respiratory health than the child’s own diet. She noted further study of this group of children is needed to see whether the association with the mother’s diet declines in older children . Previous studies in the same children found evidence for the protective effects of vitamins E and D and zinc (consumed during pregnancy) in reducing the risk of children’s wheezing and asthma. If the new results are confirmed, Willers said, “Recommendations on dietary modification during pregnancy may help to prevent childhood asthma and allergy.” Willers suggested the beneficial effect of apples may come from flavonoids, while fish’s protective effect may come from omega-3 fatty acids. “Other studies have looked at individual nutrients’ effect on asthma in pregnancy, but our study looked at specific foods during pregnancy and the subsequent development of childhood asthma and allergies, which is quite new,” Willers said. “Foods contain mixtures of nutrients that may contribute more than the sum of their parts.”
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