Maternal Diet and Allergy Outcomes in Offspring
Summary
Maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation plays a pivotal role in shaping the developing immune system of the offspring and modulating the risk of allergic disease. Variations in intake of specific nutrients such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, probiotics and allergenic foods have been shown to influence foetal immune programming via multiple pathways. These include direct effects on T cell differentiation, epigenetic modifications of immune-related genes and the establishment of the neonatal gut microbiota. Emerging evidence suggests that a balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, adequate antioxidant status and targeted use of probiotics may reduce the likelihood of eczema, wheeze and food sensitisation in early childhood. Understanding these mechanisms has global significance, offering practical avenues for dietary guidance and primary prevention strategies that can be implemented in diverse settings to curb the rising prevalence of paediatric allergic disorders.
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Maternal Diet and Allergy Outcomes in Offspring publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in maternal diet and allergy outcomes in offspring across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs): Fatty acids with multiple carbon–carbon double bonds, notably omega-3 and omega-6 subtypes, that modulate inflammatory and immune pathways.
Gut microbiota: The complex community of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract that influences immune development and allergic susceptibility.
Allergic sensitisation: The process by which the immune system becomes reactive to an allergen, typically involving production of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE).
Mendelian randomisation: A genetic epidemiology method using inherited genetic variants as proxies for modifiable exposures to infer causal effects on health outcomes.
References
- Effect of varying dietary fatty acid patterns on early‐life food allergy in rats. Food Frontiers (2024).
- Diet during pregnancy and infancy and risk of allergic or autoimmune disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Medicine (2018).
- The causal association of polyunsaturated fatty acids with allergic disease: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Frontiers in Nutrition (2022).
- The role of epigenetic dysregulation in the epidemic of allergic disease. Clinical Epigenetics (2011).
- Associations between Maternal Antioxidant Intakes in Pregnancy and Infant Allergic Outcomes. Nutrients (2012).
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