Diet Diversity and Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Pattern in Pregnancy Is Protective Against the Development of Early-Childhood Atopic Dermatitis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The role of maternal diet in atopic dermatitis (AD) requires better understanding, as AD often manifests early in life and precedes other allergic diseases. We evaluated the association between maternal diet and AD up to 2 years of age.

METHODS

A total of 116 mother-child dyads from the CARE birth cohort study were included. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed with a validated self-administered 97-item food frequency questionnaire, and dietary scores were calculated. AD was evaluated at ages 4 months, 1 year, and 2 years. The associations between maternal dietary patterns and AD were examined by logistic regression analysis adjusting for total energy intake, gender of the child, maternal antibiotic therapy during pregnancy, and history of atopic disease among both parents.

RESULTS

Of the 116 children, 27 (23.3%) developed AD by 2 years, 11 of whom (40.7%) had persistent AD within the first 2 years. AD risk was reduced with a higher Mediterranean diet score during pregnancy (upper median > 3 points versus lower median: adjusted OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.08-0.69, = 0.009) and with greater dietary diversity, as measured by the number of items consumed (upper median > 53 items versus lower median: OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.06-0.58, = 0.005). No association was found with macronutrients and micronutrients. Red meat consumption showed a positive association with the persistent AD phenotype (adjusted OR 5.04, 95% CI 1.47 to 31.36, = 0.034).

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and a diverse diet during pregnancy may decrease the risk of developing early childhood AD. This highlights the synergistic role of nutrients in dietary patterns as they modulate immune development and disease susceptibility.