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

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

doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2023.06.005

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

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2023 Sep;11(9):2862-2871.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.06.005. Epub 2023 Jun 8.

Authors

Linh Ba Phuong Huynh¹, Nam Nhat Nguyen², Hsien-Yu Fan³, Shih-Yi Huang⁴, Chung-Hsiung Huang⁵, Yang-Ching Chen⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
² College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ 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.
⁴ 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.
⁵ Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan.
⁶ 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: melisa26@tmu.edu.tw.

PMID: 37301431
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.06.005

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.

Keywords: Children; Food allergy; Maternal; Meta-analysis; Omega-3 supplementation.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Allergens
Breast Feeding
Child
Dietary Supplements
Drug Hypersensitivity Syndrome*
Fatty Acids, Omega-3*
Female
Food Hypersensitivity* / epidemiology
Food Hypersensitivity* / prevention & control
Humans
Infant
Pregnancy

Substances

Fatty Acids, Omega-3
Allergens