Maternal Omega-3 Supplementation During Pregnancy, but Not Childhood Supplementation, Reduces the Risk of Food Allergy Diseases in Offspring.

Nam Nhat Nguyen, Linh Ba Phuong Huynh, Hsien-Yu Fan, Shih-Yi Huang, Chung-Hsiung Huang, Yang-Ching Chen

Journal: The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice 2023;11(9):2862-2871.e8

PMID: 37301431

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Omega-3 supplementation has been reported to modulate immune responses and prevent food allergies among children; however, findings are inconsistent, and the timing of supplementation, which is critical, has not been thoroughly investigated.

OBJECTIVE

To assess optimal timing (maternal vs childhood intake) of omega-3 supplementation for reducing food allergy risk among children in 2 periods (the first 3 years and beyond 3 years of age).

METHODS

We performed a meta-analysis to assess the effects of maternal or childhood omega-3 supplementation on preventing the development of infant food allergies and food sensitizations. The PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for related studies published until October 30, 2022. We conducted dose-response and subgroup analyses to investigate the effects of omega-3 supplementation.

RESULTS

We found that maternal omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy and lactation was significantly associated with decreased risks of infant egg sensitization (relative risk [RR]: 0.58, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.47-0.73, P < .01) and peanut sensitization (RR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.47-0.80, P < .01) among children. Similar results were found in subgroup analyses for food allergy, egg sensitization, and peanut sensitization during the first 3 years of age and peanut sensitization and cashew nut sensitization beyond 3 years of age. Dose-response analysis showed a linear relationship between maternal omega-3 supplementation and infant egg sensitization risk during early life. By contrast, intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid during childhood did not appear to significantly protect against food allergies.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, rather than childhood intake, reduces the risk of infant food allergy and food sensitization.

Address: School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.; College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.; Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.; School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Metabolism and Obesity Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.; Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan.; School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Metabolism and Obesity Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.06.005

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MeSH Terms: Infant, Child, Pregnancy, Female, Humans, Food Hypersensitivity, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Allergens, Breast Feeding, Drug Hypersensitivity Syndrome, Dietary Supplements