title: Breast milk fatty acids and allergic disease in preschool children: the Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy birth cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Better understanding of the association between early life lipid intakes and the development of allergic diseases is needed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We prospectively studied breast milk content of n-6, n-3, and trans fatty acids in relation to allergic symptoms at the ages of 1 and 4 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fatty acid content was determined in breast milk samples of 265 (158 allergic and 107 nonallergic) mothers of children participating in the Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy study. Outcome variables studied were parental reported eczema at age 1 year, eczema at age 4 years, asthma at age 4 years, and, in a subgroup of 133 children, sensitization at age 4 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In children of mothers with allergy, breast milk n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and the ratio between n-3 and n-6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids were inversely associated with asthma and with persistent symptoms (eczema at age 1 year and eczema at age 4 years and/or asthma at age 4 years), but no associations between breast milk fatty acids and sensitization were observed. In children of mothers with allergy, also trans fatty acids tended to be inversely associated with allergic symptoms. In children of mothers without allergy, no associations between breast milk fatty acids and allergic symptoms were observed, but alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) was positively associated with sensitization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In susceptible infants, the risk to develop allergic symptoms, but not the risk of sensitization, was modified by intake of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids through breast milk.
authors.affiliation: Center for Prevention and Health Services Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. alet.wijga@rivm.nl
authors.forename: Alet H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Wijga
authors.forename: Adriana C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: van Houwelingen
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerkhof
authors.forename: Cora
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tabak
authors.forename: Johan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Jongste
authors.forename: Jorrit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerritsen
authors.forename: Hendriek
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boshuizen
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brunekreef
authors.forename: Henriette A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Smit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004485:Eczema / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D015995:Prevalence; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids