Carbohydrates intake during pregnancy linked to higher risk of allergic diseases in children

Results:

• Among 1636 mother-infant pairs included in the present analysis, 230 infants (14.1%) with IgE-mediated allergic diseases, 77 (4.7%) with allergic contact dermatitis, and 488 (29.8%) with food allergies were, respectively, reported.
• Independent of total energy intake and other potential confounders, both the lowest quintile and the highest quintile were associated with the risk of IgE-mediated allergic diseases compared with the middle quintile.
• Among high-carbohydrate-diet pregnant women, substituting 5% of energy from either protein or fat for carbohydrates was associated with a lower risk of IgE-mediated allergic diseases.
• While among low-carbohydrate-diet pregnant women, substituting 5% of energy from carbohydrate, especially high-quality carbohydrate, for fat was associated with a lower risk of IgE-mediated allergic diseases.

Thus, maternal low carbohydrate-high protein and fat, and high carbohydrate-low protein and fat diet were both associated with an increased risk of allergic diseases in the infants up to 2 years. This study may provide an intervention strategy for allergy prevention in early childhood.

Reference:

Xi Chen,Lixia Lin, et al. Association of maternal low-carbohydrate-diet score during pregnancy with allergic diseases at 2 years of age. Pediatric Allergy and ImmunologyVolume 33, Issue 9 e13842. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13842