Allergology International (Apr 2024)

Association of allergies in children younger than 3 years with levels of maternal intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids or fish during pregnancy: A nationwide birth cohort study, the Japan Environment and Children's Study

  • Sayaka Tsuji,
  • Yuichi Adachi,
  • Akiko Tsuchida,
  • Kei Hamazaki,
  • Kenta Matsumura,
  • Hidekuni Inadera,
  • Michihiro Kamijima,
  • Shin Yamazaki,
  • Yukihiro Ohya,
  • Reiko Kishi,
  • Nobuo Yaegashi,
  • Koichi Hashimoto,
  • Chisato Mori,
  • Shuichi Ito,
  • Zentaro Yamagata,
  • Takeo Nakayama,
  • Tomotaka Sobue,
  • Masayuki Shima,
  • Seiji Kageyama,
  • Narufumi Suganuma,
  • Shoichi Ohga,
  • Takahiko Katoh

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 73, no. 2
pp. 282 – 289

Abstract

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Background: N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have anti-inflammatory properties and are expected to prevent the onset of allergies. However, epidemiological studies investigating the relationship between child allergies and maternal intake of n-3 PUFAs or fish have yielded inconsistent results. Methods: Following exclusions from a dataset comprising 103,057 records from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, 72,105 participants were divided into five groups according to mothers' intake of n-3 PUFAs or fish during pregnancy to assess the risk of their children being diagnosed with allergy by 3 years old. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for child allergies were calculated using multivariable logistic regression analyses with reference to the lowest intake group. Results: Levels of maternal intake of n-3 PUFAs or fish showed inverted associations (i.e., reduced risk) with the incidence of physician-diagnosed allergic rhinoconjunctivitis or parent-reported symptoms of current rhinitis with eye symptoms at different time points and the cumulative incidence from birth to 3 years of age. Inverted associations were also found for current wheeze at 1-<2 years of age and current eczema at 1-<2 and 0-<3 years of age. However, for food allergies, no significant associations were observed in the incidence in each group compared with the lowest intake group at any age. Conclusions: The findings suggest that n-3 PUFA intake during pregnancy may reduce the risk of developing allergic diseases and symptoms in children. In addition, consumption of n-3 PUFAs or fish is very unlikely to increase the risk of allergy given that the results are from a country with high fish consumption. Trial registration: UMIN000030786 https://rctportal.niph.go.jp/detail/um?trial_id=UMIN000030786.

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