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Maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy is inversely associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis in 5‐year‐old children
Author(s) -
Erkkola M.,
Kaila M.,
Nwaru B. I.,
KronbergKippilä C.,
Ahonen S.,
Nevalainen J.,
Veijola R.,
Pekkanen J.,
Ilonen J.,
Simell O.,
Knip M.,
Virtanen S. M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2009.03234.x
Subject(s) - asthma , medicine , pregnancy , allergy , vitamin d and neurology , immunology , pediatrics , genetics , biology
Summary Background Vitamin D is known to have a number of immunological effects and it may play a role in preventing allergic diseases. Objectives To study the effect of maternal intake of vitamin D during pregnancy on the emergence of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), and atopic eczema by the age of 5 years in children with HLA‐DQB1‐conferred susceptibility for type 1 diabetes. Methods Children (1669) participating in the population‐based birth cohort study were followed for asthma, AR, and atopic eczema assessed by validated questionnaire at 5 years. Maternal diet was assessed by a food‐frequency questionnaire. Results The mean maternal intake of vitamin D was 5.1 (SD 2.6) μg from food and 1.4 (2.6) μg from supplements. Only 32% of the women were taking vitamin D supplements. When adjusted for potential confounders, maternal intake of vitamin D from food was negatively related to risk of asthma [hazard ratio (HR) 0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64–0.99] and AR [HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.75–0.97]. Vitamin D supplements alone were not associated with any outcome. Adjustment for maternal intake of other dietary factors did not change the results. Conclusion Maternal vitamin D intake from foods during pregnancy may be negatively associated with risk of asthma and AR in childhood.