Mediterranean Diet During Pregnancy Protects Against Asthma in Children

Mediterranean Diet During Pregnancy Protects Against Asthma in Children
January 17, 2008
News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Penny Murata, MD
Medscape Medical News 2008

Pregnant women who followed a Mediterranean diet experienced a protective effect against asthma-like symptoms and atopy in their children, according to the results of a prospective cohort study reported in the January 15 Online First issue of Thorax.

"Dietary intake of specific nutrients or food groups during pregnancy could play a role in the risk of asthma and atopy in offspring, but specific dietary patterns have not been implicated," write Leda Chatzi, MD, PhD, from the University of Crete in Heraklion, Greece, and colleagues. "In general, the Mediterranean diet is characterised by elevated intake of plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, bread and cereals (primarily wholegrain), legumes and nuts. Low to moderate amounts of dairy products and eggs, and only little amounts of red meat are included in the diet. This dietary pattern is low in saturated fatty acids, rich in carbohydrates, fibre and antioxidants, and has a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are primarily derived from olive oil and fish intake."

The investigators recruited women presenting for antenatal care at all general practices in Menorca, a Mediterranean island in Spain, during a 12-month period beginning in mid-1997. After 6.5 years of follow-up, 460 children were included in the analysis. Food frequency questionnaires were used to evaluate maternal dietary intake during pregnancy and children's dietary intake at age 6.5 years, and a priori defined scores evaluated adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Follow-up included parental questionnaires on the child's respiratory tract and allergic symptoms, as well as skin prick tests, with 6 common aeroallergens, for the children.

At age 6.5 years, prevalence rates were 13.2% for persistent wheeze, 5.8% for atopic wheeze, and 17.0% for atopy. According to the Mediterranean Diet Score during pregnancy, one third (36.1%) of mothers had a low-quality Mediterranean diet, and the rest had a high-quality Mediterranean diet.

After adjustment for potential confounders and use of the "low" score as the reference, a high Mediterranean Diet Score during pregnancy was found to be protective for persistent wheeze (odds ratio [OR], 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08 - 0.58), atopic wheeze (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.10 - 0.90), and atopy (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.31 - 0.97) at age 6.5 years.

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