title: Maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation and cow's milk allergy in offspring.
abstract: Diet during pregnancy and lactation may have a role in the development of allergic diseases. There are few human studies on the topic, especially focusing on food allergies. We sought to study the associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation and cow's milk allergy (CMA) in offspring.
  
  
  
  A population-based birth cohort with human leukocyte antigen-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes was recruited in Finland between 1997 and 2004 (n=6288). Maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation was assessed by a validated, 181-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Register-based information on diagnosed CMA was obtained from the Social Insurance Institution and completed with parental reports. The associations between maternal food consumption and CMA were assessed using logistic regression, comparing the highest and the lowest quarters to the middle half of consumption.
  
  
  
  Consumption of milk products in the highest quarter during pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of CMA in offspring (odds ratio (OR) 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37-0.86; P<0.01). When stratified by maternal allergic rhinitis and asthma, there was evidence of an inverse association between high use of milk products and CMA in offspring of non-allergic mothers (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.13-0.69, P<0.001). Cord blood IgA correlated positively with the consumption of milk products during pregnancy, indicating exposure to CMA and activation of antigen-specific immunity in the infant during pregnancy.
  
  
  
  High maternal consumption of milk products during pregnancy may protect children from developing CMA, especially in offspring of non-allergic mothers.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Nutrition Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Public Health Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tuokkola
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Luukkainen
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tapanainen
authors.affiliation: Public Health Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaila
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vaarala
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Medical Statistics Unit, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kenward
authors.affiliation: Research Department, Social Insurance Institution, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Virta
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Veijola
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Simell
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.|Immunogenetics Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ilonen
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.|Folkhälsan Research Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0474-0033
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knip
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Science Center of Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Tampere, Finland.|School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Virtanen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D008892:Milk / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A