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05/03/2018

Fish Oil Supplements In Pregnancy 'Could Reduce Allergy Risk'

A new study has revealed that women who take fish oil and probiotic supplements in pregnancy could reduce their child's risk of food allergy and eczema.

The study was funded by the Food Standards Agency and carried out by scientists at Imperial College London who assessed more than 400 studies, involving 1.5 million people to see how a pregnant woman's diet can affect her baby's allergy and eczema risk.

As part of the study, they discovered that when women took a daily fish oil capsule from 20 weeks pregnant, as well as during the first three to four months of breastfeeding, risk of egg allergy in the child was reduced by 30%.

It was also found that expectant mothers taking a daily probiotic supplement from 36-38 weeks pregnant, as well as during the first three to six months of breastfeeding, reduced the risk of a child developing eczema by 22%.

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However, the researchers, who published their findings in the journal PLOS Medicine, found no evidence that avoiding potentially allergenic foods such as nuts, dairy and eggs during pregnancy made a difference to a child's allergy or eczema risk.

Dr Robert Boyle, Lead Author of the research from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said: "Food allergies and eczema in children are a growing problem across the world. Although there has been a suggestion that what a woman eats during pregnancy may affect her baby's risk of developing allergies or eczema, until now there has never been such a comprehensive analysis of the data.

"Our research suggests probiotic and fish oil supplements may reduce a child's risk of developing an allergic condition, and these findings need to be considered when guidelines for pregnant women are updated."

Dr Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, Co-Author of the study from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial, added that more research is now needed to understand how probiotics and fish oils may reduce allergy and eczema risk.

She explained: "Despite allergies and eczema being on the rise, and affecting millions of children, we are still hunting for the root causes of these conditions, and how to prevent them. This study has provided clues, which we now need to follow with further research."

Currently, the Food Standards Agency advises that families should follow government advice to exclusively breastfeed for around the first six months of age, and continue breastfeeding thereafter. Solid foods should be introduced into the infant diet at around six months of age. Pregnant women should also continue to follow government dietary and supplement advice.

(JP/LM)

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"A new study has revealed that women who take fish oil and probiotic supplements in pregnancy could reduce their child's risk of food allergy and eczema."