A mother's antioxidant intake while she is pregnant can have a significant impact on her child's respiratory health according to a study in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study looked at 1290 mother/child pairs in the Boston area. Maternal dietary intake and supplement use was assessed using standardized questionaires. Then presence of wheezing or ezcema in the child at one or two years of age was determined. The researchers analyzed data for any coorelation between antioxidant intake and wheezing or ezcema.
Researchers had postulated that poor antioxidant status in the mother may affect the incidence of asthma and allergies in offspring. A total of 10 antioxidants were investigated in this study.
They found no association between maternal antioxidant intake and ezcema in childhood.
However, maternal antioxidant intake was inversely associated with risk of wheezing in children at both one and two years of age. Both Vitamin E and zince were associated with a significant increase in wheezing at two years of age.
The authors concluded that some evidence exists linking antioxidant intake to wheezing in childhood, however more studies are needed to fully understand the relationship.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on November 13, 2006 04:27 PM
