Scientists recently confirmed that many holistic medical doctors have known all this time: the risk of developing asthma and allergies in children can begin in the womb.
Mom's diet makes a difference
Several studies have shown that a mother’s diet during pregnancy may increase or decrease the risk of developing allergies and asthma in children. German study (Sausenthaler et al.). Some foods, including margarine, raw sweet peppers and citrus fruits, as well as fried foods, have been shown to increase the risk of certain types of allergies, while a diet rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids (those found in fish and raw nuts) have a protective effect on children.
A six-year study of Leda Chaci and his colleagues showed that eating a good Mediterranean diet during pregnancy can protect an unborn baby from allergies and asthma. The classic Mediterranean diet — high in vegetables, fruits, olive oil, fish, legumes, and nuts — has long been known to protect against heart disease and cancer, and now we know that it can also help protect children from allergies and asthma.
Research published at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in Toronto in May 2008, revealed other factors that influence the development of allergies to children and asthma, including birth order, delivery method, exposure to microbes and mother stress.
The risk is higher for the firstborn
A study by Dr. Wilfried Carmaus of the University of South Carolina in Colombia found that having a specific genetic marker, a variant of the IL-13 gene known to be associated with the development of allergies and asthma, affects firstborn children and subsequent children in different ways. the risk of developing allergies and asthma, and in the second or third children, it actually protects against these conditions for at least 10 years.
A 10-year study confirms that the mother’s immune system responds differently to firstborn children than to subsequent children. Although scientists still do not understand how a child’s immune system develops, it seems that IL-13 is aimed at increasing the immune response in the first child, but not in later brothers and sisters.
C-sections increase risk
Vaginalbirth offers more protection against allergies, because the baby takes some of the protective germs of the mother when it passes through the birth canal. In infants set by Caesarea, normal immune development is impaired, explained Dr. Ngoc Lee of the University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Lee and her research colleagues found that among children with the C-section, T-regulator cells (treg), which moderated the protective activities of the T-cells of the immune system, often failed to prevent immune overload. An over-reactive immune system significantly increases the risk of developing allergies or asthma in children with the C-section.
Microbes farm protection
A research team from the University Children's Hospital in Munich, Germany, found that mothers have a protective effect on the farm’s microbes during pregnancy. Mothers who attended bones gave birth to children with more effective trigger cells that suppress or stop immune hyperactivity.
“It is possible that T-regulatory cells are able to prevent an allergic response at an early point in time by suppressing Th2 cells,” said team leader Dr. Bianca Schaub. “The effect was stronger among those who entered barns or drank agricultural milk.”
Mother's stress causes hypersensitivity
Previous studies have shown that mothers high exposure to dust mites puts their children at risk of allergies. Now, researchers at Harvard Medical School report that the impact is significantly greater on children who have high levels of stress during pregnancy. Moreover, the infant’s developing immune system is so affected that it is more likely to react even to low levels of dust mites after birth.
“This study adds to the growing body of evidence that connects maternal stress, such as caused by financial problems or relationship problems, changes in the development of children's immune systems, even during pregnancy,” said Dr. Wright MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at Brigham Hospital and women and Harvard Medical School.
These studies are particularly interesting: they determine the factors that can influence the development of allergies or asthma even in children with a family history of these conditions. This means that the mother’s mental health and environment during pregnancy can have a greater impact on the development of the child’s immunological development and long-term allergy resistance than heredity. If a preventive or healthy program for children should be effective, it should take into account all the possible consequences for the immune system of both the mother and the child, including the emotional environment and nutrition.
Sources:
American Thoracic Society (May 2008) Received June 23, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com
"Prenatal mother stress predisposes her children to asthma and allergies, research,"
Farm moms can help children cope with allergies & # 39;
Original children Higher asthma and allergies due to pregnancy conditions.
Chatzi, L et al., Mediterranean diet during pregnancy, protecting against wheezing and atopy in childhood. Published on the Internet: January 15, 2008. doi: 10.1136 http://thorax.bmj.com/cgi/content /abstract/thx.2007.081745 v1 = rss = 1
Sausenthaler S. et al., Maternal diet during pregnancy due to eczema and allergic sensitization in offspring aged 2 years, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 2, 530-537, February 2007
