title: Peanut, milk, and wheat intake during pregnancy is associated with reduced allergy and asthma in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal diet during pregnancy may affect childhood allergy and asthma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to examine the associations between maternal intake of common childhood food allergens during early pregnancy and childhood allergy and asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 1277 mother-child pairs from a US prebirth cohort unselected for any disease. Using food frequency questionnaires administered during the first and second trimesters, we assessed maternal intake of common childhood food allergens during pregnancy. In mid-childhood (mean age, 7.9 years), we assessed food allergy, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis by questionnaire and serum-specific IgE levels. We examined the associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and childhood allergy and asthma. We also examined the cross-sectional associations between specific food allergies, asthma, and atopic conditions in mid-childhood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Food allergy was common (5.6%) in mid-childhood, as was sensitization to at least 1 food allergen (28.0%). Higher maternal peanut intake (each additional z score) during the first trimester was associated with 47% reduced odds of peanut allergic reaction (odds ratio [OR], 0.53; 95% CI, 0.30-0.94). Higher milk intake during the first trimester was associated with reduced asthma (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69-0.99) and allergic rhinitis (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.97). Higher maternal wheat intake during the second trimester was associated with reduced atopic dermatitis (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.46-0.90). Peanut, wheat, and soy allergy were each cross-sectionally associated with increased childhood asthma, atopic dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis (ORs, 3.6 to 8.1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher maternal intake of peanut, milk, and wheat during early pregnancy was associated with reduced odds of mid-childhood allergy and asthma.
authors: Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. Electronic address: supinda@post.harvard.edu.
authors: Supinda
authors: S
authors: Bunyavanich
authors: Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Mass; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
authors: Sheryl L
authors: SL
authors: Rifas-Shiman
authors: Asthma and Allergic Diseases Center, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Va.
authors: Thomas A
authors: TA
authors: Platts-Mills
authors: Asthma and Allergic Diseases Center, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Va.
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Workman
authors: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
authors: Joanne E
authors: JE
authors: Sordillo
authors: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass.
authors: Carlos A
authors: CA
authors: Camargo
authors: Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Mass; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
authors: Matthew W
authors: MW
authors: Gillman
authors: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
authors: Diane R
authors: DR
authors: Gold
authors: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
authors: Augusto A
authors: AA
authors: Litonjua
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D010367:Arachis; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014908:Triticum
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: Maternal diet; allergic rhinitis; asthma; childhood; food allergy; milk; peanut; pregnancy; sensitization; wheat