Avocados in Pregnancy Linked to Lower Infant Allergy Risk

TOPLINE:

Infants born to mothers who ate avocados during pregnancy had lower odds of having food allergies at the age of 12 months, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from the Kuopio Birth Cohort in Finland to examine associations between maternal avocado consumption during pregnancy and allergic health outcomes in infants.
• Dietary data from 2272 pregnant women (average maternal age at delivery, 31.3 years) were collected during the first and third trimesters between March 2013 and November 2022.
• Participants were classified as avocado consumers if they reported consuming any amount in either of the trimesters.
• Infant allergic outcomes, including rhinitis, paroxysmal wheezing, eczema, and food allergy, were assessed at the 12-month follow-up.

TAKEAWAY:

• Infants of mothers who had avocados during pregnancy had 43.6% lower odds of developing a food allergy at 12 months than those whose mothers did not have avocados, in an analysis that adjusted for factors like maternal age, marital status, education, body mass index, breastfeeding, and diet quality (P = .03).
• Paroxysmal wheezing was significantly higher in infants of nonconsumers than in infants of consumers (13.3% vs 9.8%) in an unadjusted analysis; however, this association weakened after adjustment.
• No significant association was observed between maternal avocado consumption and the likelihood of infants developing rhinitis and eczema.

IN PRACTICE:

“The potential benefit of avocados during pregnancy might be explained by various mechanisms at the nutrient level (eg, antioxidants, fiber, and monounsaturated fat),” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

Sari Hantunen, PhD, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on March 7 in Pediatric Research.

LIMITATIONS:

The study relied on self-reported data on diet and health outcomes. Moreover, some of the allergic diseases evaluated may not have manifested yet by the age of 12 months.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported by the Research Committee of the Kuopio University Hospital Catchment Area for the State Research Funding and the Foundation for Pediatric Research. Some authors were employees of the Hass Avocado Board.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.