Increased Food Diversity in the First Year of Life is Inversely Associated with Allergic Outcomes in the Second Year
Year: 2022
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: To investigate the association between food diversity in the first year of life and allergic outcomes in the second year.The study enrolled 2251 mother-infant pairs from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort. Pregnant women before 16 weeks of gestation were enrolled at their initial prenatal care visit in Wuhan, China, between January 2013 and May 2016.Baseline characteristics of the study participants were collected at the initial prenatal visit. Feeding assessments were obtained at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of age via phone interview to determine the number of food groups introduced to the infant. Six food groups were defined at the 6-month interview: cereals, vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, and eggs. Five food groups were added at the 12-month interview: beans, peanuts, other nuts, milk and milk products, and sweets. Mothers were asked whether their infant ever had food allergies at the 6-, 12-, and 24-month visits. At the 24-month visit, mothers were asked if a doctor had diagnosed their infant with any allergic disease involving the respiratory tract and/or skin during the prior year.The number infants that were included in the final analysis after excluding those who were introduced to solids before 4 months (n = 15) was 2251. One hundred and thirty-five (6%) of these infants were diagnosed with an allergic disease in the second year of life; 41% developed allergic rhinitis, and 2% developed cough. Food diversity ranged from 0 to 6 food groups at age 6 months and from 1 to 11 groups by age 12 months. Participants who were not introduced to complementary foods had an increased risk of allergic skin disease in their second year of life compared with those who were introduced to 3 to 6 food groups by 6 months. With each additional food group introduced by age 6 months, the risk of allergic disease during the second year of life was reduced by 15%. Overall, infants with lower food diversity by either 6 or 12 months of age had a higher risk of developing allergic respiratory and skin disease by 24 months.A more varied diet in the first 12 months of life was associated with a reduced risk of allergic disease between age 1 to 2 years.This study’s results were consistent with others showing associations between increased food diversity in infancy and decreased risk of allergic disease during toddler years. Because reduced food diversity in infancy can be a manifestation of food allergies, these results could be explained by the well-known association between infant food allergy and development of other allergic diseases; however, history of food allergy was accounted for in the analyses, making this explanation unlikely. It is unclear whether increased food diversity could reduce risk of future allergic disease by preventing food allergy or whether there are other mechanisms at play, such as immune modulation via changes in the gut microbiome.URL: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.10.1111/pai.13707
Source: PEDIATRICS
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology and Allergy
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4311070995