Prenatal exposure to nuts = lower risk of allergy?

[CMdeux]

Prenatal exposure = lower PA/TNA risk?

A. Lindsay Frazier, M.D., Sc.M., of the Dana-Farber Children's Cancer Center, Boston, and colleagues examined the association between pregnant mothers eating peanuts or tree nuts and the risk of P/TN allergies in their children.



Study participants included children born to mothers who previously reported their diet during, or shortly before or after, their pregnancy as part of the ongoing Nurses' Health Study II. Among 8,205 children, researchers identified 308 cases of food allergy, including 140 cases of P/TN allergy.



Study findings indicate that children whose nonallergic mothers had the highest P/TN consumption (five times a week or more) had the lowest risk of P/TN allergy. This lower risk of P/TN allergy was not observed among the children of mothers who had a P/TN allergy.



"Our study supports the hypothesis that early allergen exposure increases the likelihood of tolerance and thereby lowers the risk of childhood food allergy. Additional prospective studies are needed to replicate this finding," the study concludes. "In the meantime, our data support the recent decisions to rescind recommendations that all mothers avoid P/TN during pregnancy and breastfeeding."

Pretty much confirms what we've suspected around here for a long time-- that the earlier avoidance recommendations were not evidence-based in the least.

On the other hand, I also have to wonder if the children of the nut-consuming moms weren't a different group for other reasons, as well.

Hard to say.

[GoingNuts]

I was a heavy nut consumer during pregnancy with DS2, and continued eating lots of nuts/PN butter while nursing as well due to blood sugar issues.

Um, clearly his early exposure didn't help, LOL.

Luck of the draw?

[twinturbo]

Same here. Ate unrestricted of anything with DS1. Peanut allergy.

Ate a lot of dairy, wheat, moderate amount of egg, just didn't eat overt nuts. Dairy (ana traces), wheat (ana traces), temp changes (systemic to ana).

I do, however, think this is a good use of correlation to take the heat of pregnancy diets. I didn't do anything really restrictive during pregnancy or nursing with DS2 treated it as a blank slate assuming nothing. Unfortunately, it manifested super early to some very wide category food proteins plus non-food triggers. 

[eragon]

hasnt the highest rate of nut allergy in infants has  been in the group of mothers with no atopic disease that avoided eating nuts during pregnancy?

which goes to show preg mums should turn a deaf ear to most of today's food health advice?


as human beings  we wouldnt be here without weak beer during the middle ages, as water was unsafe. of course the down side was that full adult life ended at 40, but still it makes you think doenst it?

[starlight]

I call mild bull on this one. My mom had a PB&J every day when pregnant with me. But she also smoked while pregnant with me, so there was something else going on. I second everyone else, I think we need more info here...

[Jessica]

Not in my case. I ate a lot of peanuts and a normal amount of tree nuts when pregnant with  my pa/tna daughter. With the other two I avoided and they have no known allergies.

[eragon]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2528682/Why-eat-nuts-pregnancy-Now-doctors-say-lowers-risk-baby-developing-allergy.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25492620

[LinksEtc]

We could play the game of "let's throw one study at another" and see which approach is left standing 

"Peanuts in the Home"
http://www.asthmaallergieschildren.com/2013/09/03/peanuts-in-the-home/

What a drag to think that a bowl of peanuts shared by an expectant mom and dad as they enjoy their remaining days as a couple in the run-up to delivery could result in sensitization in the months following the blessed event.

[lakeswimr]

Too bad it didn't work on ds

[CMdeux]

Yeah-- I suspect that there may be vastly different rules on this one for parents who are atopic versus those who are not.

{sigh}

DD's first known exposure resulted in massive (grade IV) anaphylaxis from about 100-150 mg of ingested pb, so I'm rather thinking that all that prenatal exposure didn't do HER so much good.   

I ate a BabyRuth bar about twice a week when I had a late lab to teach and was on my feet moving for 4-6 hours a stretch.  Other than that, I didn't really eat PB.  We had to buy the jar that almost killed DD before her first birthday.  (Yeah-- long story).

[Janelle205]

Yeah-- I suspect that there may be vastly different rules on this one for parents who are atopic versus those who are not.

{sigh}

I'm pretty sure that I'm in a screwed situation for this.  Have talked it over with the allergist, since we've been working on managing meds and getting things changed to be as safe as possible for DH and I to try to have children.  We pretty much agreed that with as much as my diet is limited, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to start avoiding more things on the off chance that it may prevent allergies, especially since it has been our mission to keep most of those things in my diet relatively regularly to try to keep me from sensitizing to more things.  If someone could tell me for sure that something would work, or even likely, I would do it, but no one seems to be able to do that.

It is highly likely that our potential kids will have some type of atopic condition.  Maybe it will be food allergies, maybe it will be something else.  But I am probably more prepared than most to deal with food allergies or really, most any of the allergies, asthma, eczema crowd.

[GingerPye]

I was a heavy nut consumer during pregnancy with DS2, and continued eating lots of nuts/PN butter while nursing as well due to blood sugar issues.

Um, clearly his early exposure didn't help, LOL.

Luck of the draw?

same here.  Ice cream, too.   

[momma2boys]

I ate pb through both pregnancies ...one pa, one not. I agree with the luck of the draw statement.

[ctmartin]

pb thruout #1 ... PA daughter; not a trace of PN during #2 ... NKA daughter.

i just do not buy this.  although it *might* be true in some instances (and who knows what differentiates these cases), i don't like the way it is presented in this study like it is some huge breakthrough.

[YouKnowWho]

I loved me some PB&J while pregnant and nursing DS1 - no nut allergies but allergies to wheat, rye, barley and egg.

Avoid PB while preggers with DS2 (at the time DS1 was testing positive to peanuts).  Delayed exposure with him (per current recommendations regarding pregnancy and infants).  No allergy issues until 2 which have mostly resolved but we are left with a RAST high enough for peanuts that the allergist won't challenge.

DD - same diet as with DS1 and no allergies.

Having said that, we are the insanely atopic family who apparently in researching further back and asking more questions about my family and DH's family, people weren't kidding when they said we shouldn't breed (yes, someone said that to me when I was preggers with DD).