Food allergies are incredibly common in children and their incidence is rising. In mild cases the allergies are simply an inconvenience but in severe cases they can be life threatening. You may not realise that a pregnant woman’s diet has a major bearing on her future child’s risk of allergies. Making some modifications to your diet and correcting nutrient deficiencies can create a healthier childhood.

Recent research has discovered specific ways to reduce the risk of allergies as well as autoimmune disease in a child. These findings were published in the journal Plos Medicine. It is a high quality study and is titled Diet during pregnancy and infancy and risk of allergic or autoimmune disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The researchers searched through all previously published data on the subject between 1946 and 2017.

Findings from 19 clinical trials showed that oral supplementation with probiotics during late pregnancy and throughout breastfeeding may reduce the risk of eczema. Supplementing with fish oil during pregnancy and breastfeeding reduced the risk of egg allergy in infants. Longer exclusive breastfeeding was associated with a reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in children.

The patients I’ve seen who have allergies or autoimmune disease are usually concerned about passing on similar health problems to their children. It’s good to see that some quality research has shown how to reduce the risk. Eczema, food allergy and autoimmune conditions are far more prevalent in today’s children than a generation ago. This is largely due to problems with the parents’ immune system, as well as nutritional deficiencies while a woman is pregnant.

It is important for a woman to work on improving her health as much as possible before falling pregnant. Fish oil is high in omega 3 fats, which have excellent anti inflammatory properties, and are largely deficient in modern diets. Vitamin D wasn’t mentioned in this particular research, but other studies have shown it too helps reduce allergies in infants. Many pregnant women are iodine deficient. This can impair their production of thyroid hormones and can negatively impact their future child’s intelligence. Thyroid Health capsules contain vitamin D, iodine, selenium and zinc, all common nutrient deficiencies among women.

Taking a probiotic like Floratone during pregnancy and breastfeeding helps to ensure the mother passes on beneficial bacteria to establish a healthy immune system in her child. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of our immune system resides in our gut, thus probiotics are extremely helpful.

For more information see our books Healing Autoimmune Disease: A plan to help your immune system and reduce inflammation as well as Infertility: The Hidden Causes.

Reference

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.