Fish and seafood consumption during pregnancy and the risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in childhood: a pooled analysis of 18 European and US birth cohorts

Nikos Stratakis, Theano Roumeliotaki, Emily Oken, Ferran Ballester, Henrique Barros, Mikel Basterrechea, Sylvaine Cordier, Renate de Groot, Herman T. den Dekker, Liesbeth Duijts, Merete Eggesbo, Maria Pia Fantini, Francesco Forastiere, Ulrike Gehring, Marij Gielen, Davide Gori, Eva Govarts, Hazel M. Inskip, Nina Iszatt, Maria JansenCecily Kelleher, John Mehegan, Carolina Molto-Puigmarti, Monique Mommers, Andreia Oliveira, Sjurdur F. Olsen, Fabienne Pele, Costanza Pizzi, Daniela Porta, Lorenzo Richiardi, Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman, Sian M. Robinson, Greet Schoeters, Marin Strom, Jordi Sunyer, Carel Thijs, Martine Vrijheid, Tanja G. M. Vrijkotte, Alet H. Wijga, Manolis Kogevinas, Maurice P. Zeegers, L. Chatzi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Background: It has been suggested that prenatal exposure to n-3 long-chain fatty acids protects against asthma and other allergy-related diseases later in childhood. The extent to which fish intake in pregnancy protects against child asthma and rhinitis symptoms remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether fish and seafood consumption in pregnancy is associated with childhood wheeze, asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Methods: We pooled individual data from 60 774 mother-child pairs participating in 18 European and US birth cohort studies. Information on wheeze, asthma and allergic rhinitis prevalence was collected using validated questionnaires. The time periods of interest were: infancy (0-2 years), preschool age (3-4 years), and school age (5-8 years). We used multivariable generalized models to assess associations of fish and seafood (other than fish) consumption during pregnancy with child respiratory outcomes in cohort-specific analyses, with subsequent random-effects meta-analyses.

Results: The median fish consumption during pregnancy ranged from 0.44 times/week in The Netherlands to 4.46 times/week in Spain. Maternal fish intake during pregnancy was not associated with offspring wheeze symptoms in any age group nor with the risk of child asthma [adjusted meta-analysis relative risk (RR) per 1-time/week = 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.97-1.05)] and allergic rhinitis at school age (RR = 1.01, 0.99-1.03). These results were consistently found in further analyses by type of fish and seafood consumption and in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion: We found no evidence supporting a protective association of fish and seafood consumption during pregnancy with offspring symptoms of wheeze, asthma and allergic rhinitis from infancy to mid childhood.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1465-1477
Number of pages13
JournalInternational Journal of Epidemiology
Volume46
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2017

Keywords

  • Wheezing
  • asthma
  • allergic rhinitis
  • children
  • fish
  • seafood
  • pregnancy
  • MATERNAL FOOD-CONSUMPTION
  • FATTY-ACIDS
  • MEDITERRANEAN DIET
  • PRENATAL EXPOSURE
  • JAPANESE INFANTS
  • LUNG-FUNCTION
  • GENERATION R
  • ECZEMA
  • CHILDREN
  • WHEEZE

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