China: Dietary Diversity and Allergy Risk in Early Childhood

A more diversified diet during the first year of life was connected with a lower risk of allergy illnesses at 1-2 years of age, according to a recent study. Introducing a greater variety of foods to babies between the ages of 6 and 12 months may be a useful strategy for improving allergy results later in life. This study was conducted by Chunrong Zhong and the team and the findings were published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

The data on the association between early-life food variety and allergy outcomes was limited and inconsistent. As a result, researchers tried to examine the relationship between dietary diversity in the first year of life and allergy outcomes in the second year.

The study included a total of 2,251 mother-infant couples from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort (TMCHC). At the 6- and 12-month postpartum follow-ups, telephone interviews were used to acquire information on the introduction of supplemental meals. At the 2-year postpartum follow-up, any doctor-diagnosed allergy illnesses in the second year were reported. Food allergies in infancy were evaluated and self-reported by moms at each postpartum visit. The influence of dietary diversity at 6 and 12 months of age on subsequent allergic disorders and food allergies was investigated using multivariable logistic regression.

Key Findings

• At the age of one to two years, 135 babies (6.0%) developed allergy disorders.
• Regardless of infant food allergy history or other possible confounders, reduced dietary diversity at 6 months of age was related with an increased risk of subsequent allergic disorders (OR 2.17, 95 percent CI 1.04-4.50 for 0 vs. 3-6 food groups).
• Significant inverse associations with later allergic diseases were observed by 12 months of age (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.03-5.32 for 1-5 vs. 8-11 food groups, and OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.16-3.37 for 6-7 vs. 8-11 food groups) and food allergy (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.29-3.42 for 1-5 vs. 8-11 food groups).
• Children who received a greater variety of foods in both periods had the lowest risk of allergy disorders throughout their second year of life.

In conclusion, overall, children with lower dietary diversity in any phase had a higher risk of subsequent allergic disorders, including allergic diseases of the respiratory tract and allergic diseases of the skin, than infants with higher food diversity in both times.

Reference

Zhong, C., Guo, J., Tan, T., Wang, H., Lin, L., Gao, D., Li, Q., Sun, G., Xiong, G., Yang, X., Hao, L., Yang, H., & Yang, N. (2021). Increased food diversity in the first year of life is inversely associated with allergic outcomes in the second year. In R. Peters (Ed.), Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13707