title: Probiotic milk consumption in pregnancy and infancy and subsequent childhood allergic diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Whether probiotics, which can influence the microbiome, prevent infant eczema or allergic disease remains an open question. Most studies have focused on high-risk infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to assess whether consumption of probiotic milk products protects against atopic eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis, and asthma in early childhood in a large population-based pregnancy cohort (the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined associations between consumption of probiotic milk products in pregnancy and infancy with questionnaire-reported atopic eczema, rhinoconjunctivitis, and asthma in 40,614 children. Relative risks (RRs) were calculated by using general linear models adjusted for potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consumption of probiotic milk in pregnancy was associated with a slightly reduced relative risk (RR) of atopic eczema at 6 months (adjusted RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.89-0.99) and of rhinoconjunctivitis between 18 and 36 months (adjusted RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.98) compared with no consumption during pregnancy. Maternal history of allergic disease did not notably influence the associations. When both the mother (during pregnancy) and infant (after 6 months of age) had consumed probiotic milk, the adjusted RR of rhinoconjunctivitis was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.68-0.93) relative to no consumption by either. Probiotic milk consumption was not associated with asthma at 36 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population-based cohort consumption of probiotic milk products was related to a reduced incidence of atopic eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis, but no association was seen for incidence of asthma by 36 months of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Water and Cosmetics, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC. Electronic address: randi.jacobsen.bertelsen@fhi.no.
authors.forename: Randi J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bertelsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Exposure and Risk Assessment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Anne Lise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Brantsæter
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC; Department of Chronic Diseases, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Magnus
authors.affiliation: Department of Exposure and Risk Assessment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Margaretha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haugen
authors.affiliation: Department of Genes and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Myhre
authors.affiliation: Department of Genes and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jacobsson
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Longnecker
authors.affiliation: Department of Exposure and Risk Assessment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Helle M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Meltzer
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC.
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: London
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002417:Cattle; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D008892:Milk; D011247:Pregnancy; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Allergy; BMI; Body mass index; FFQ; Food frequency questionnaire; MJ; Megajoules; MoBa; Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study; RR; Relative risk; asthma; eczema; microbiome; probiotics; rhinoconjunctivitis
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