Vegetarian diets during pregnancy linked with less atopic dermatitis in children

Key takeaways:

• The 4,488 mothers in the cohort included 408 (2.4%) vegetarians.
• Vegan diets during pregnancy were associated with slightly lower odds for atopic dermatitis in children than lacto-ovo diets.

Vegetarian diets during pregnancy were associated with reduced risks for atopic dermatitis among children, according to a study published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

Yi-Chun Su, department of public health, Tzu Chi University, and colleagues examined data from 4,488 mothers in the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study who gave birth in 2005. The researchers surveyed participants when their infants were aged 6 and 18 months.

The 408 (2.4%) vegetarians in the cohort included 292 (1.8%) who practiced lacto-ovo vegetarianism, consuming dairy and eggs, and 116 (0.7%) who practiced veganism, avoiding all animal products.

Rates of parental-reported AD among infants before age 18 months included 13.3% for the nonvegetarian group and 8.8% for the vegetarian group. Rates also included 9.2% for the lacto-ovo vegetarian group and 7.8% for the vegan group.

Three logistic regression models that controlled for confounding factors also indicated a reduced risk for developing AD with a vegetarian diet during pregnancy.

Model 3, which included maternal and infant demographic variables as well as lifestyle and environmental exposures, indicated a 35% lower risk for AD by age 18 months for children whose mothers practiced a vegetarian diet during pregnancy (OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.93).

Specific odds ratios for AD by age 18 months included 0.65 (95% CI, 0.43-0.99) for the children of mothers who practiced lacto-ovo vegetarianism during pregnancy and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.3-1.31) for those whose mothers were vegan, which the researchers did not consider a significant difference.

The researchers noted previous research suggesting that vegetarian diets rich in fruits and vegetables during pregnancy may reduce or prevent allergic diseases in children because of their antioxidant content.

Also, the researchers cited the potential influence of in utero exposures of microbiome diversity and meat consumption, which may have an association with increased risks for allergic disease in children, in programming the fetal immune system.

Approximately 40% of cases of AD that develop before age 2 years persist into adulthood, the researchers continued, with more severe symptoms and greater risk for developing other allergic diseases.

Reducing the risks for AD via vegetarian diets during pregnancy may reduce these subsequent risks as well, the researchers said, although long-term follow-up studies would be needed to explore these broader health implications.