The impact of diet on expectant mothers and their babies

One way of reducing the risks of developing allergies in children is by consuming fish oil supplements and probiotic yoghurts during pregnancy.

The study that was conducted on how mothers’ diet may influence the childhood allergies vividly shows that by avoiding key foods such as dairy, eggs and peanuts had no much impact on future allergies or eczema.

The British Government is currently considering the results that were obtained from the study as these results may have a great influence in new dietary guidance for pregnant ladies and their infants.

 Are allergies and Eczema big problems to children? 

According to Dr. Robert Boyle from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College in London, among the growing problems in children worldwide are eczema and food allergies.

He also added that though it had been suggested that what an expectant mother consumes during pregnancy have some effects on the baby’s risks of suffering from allergies or eczema, until today there has never been thorough analysis of data.

From the result that was obtained from the research, it has been suggested that fish oil and probiotic supplements can work best in reducing the risk of developing allergies in children, and it is very important to consider these findings when updating the guidelines that are meant for pregnant ladies.

In the United Kingdom only, one out of twenty children must be affected by food allergies.

Courses of Food Allergies and Eczema

Food allergy is a condition in which the immune system becomes so sensitive to harmless chemicals in foods such as peanuts or dairy or any other type of food that it over-reacts hence causing some disorders in the body. This will then trigger the defence response of the body and in most cases, the response will include swelling, rashes and even affecting the breathing system.

On the other hand, Eczema is a condition that comes as a result of cracked, dry and itchy skin. The research has it that 20% of children from the United Kingdom suffer from this condition. Such children are said to have higher risk of suffering food allergies, though it has not been clear why it is so.

Over 400 studies that covered approximately 1.5 million people were viewed by the imperial team. The studies involved different research in maternal diet, breast feeding and allergies and were published in PLOS medicine that was funded by the food standard agency.

The studies that were carried out on probiotics and fish oil were controlled trials in which different pregnant women were randomly assigned to a given diet in order to obtain credible results.

From 19 studies in which mothers took fish oil capsules in daily basis, there was evidence suggesting the daily omega-3 supplement that is supposed to be prescribed from 20 weeks of pregnancy and in the first four months of breast feeding may decrease the risk of allergies.