strengthen immunity in kids.
Kids whose moms took omega-3s had less allergy, kids who took multivitamins before age four avoided allergy, and kids who took probiotics had stronger immune defenses, three new studies reveal.
In an omega-3 study, 145 pregnant women with allergies, or whose husbands or previous children had allergies, took 1,600 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus 1,100 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per day, or a placebo. The women started taking the omega-3s at 25 weeks pregnant and continued through the fourth month of nursing. Two percent of kids whose moms took the omega-3s had food allergy compared to 15 percent of those whose moms took the placebo. The researchers also measured eczema-dry, itchy skin rash-and found that 8 percent of kids whose moms took omega-3s had eczema compared to 24 percent for placebo.
In a multivitamin study, parents gave researchers lifestyle information for more than 2,400 8-year-olds including vitamin supplements, environmental exposures, and symptoms and diagnoses of allergic diseases. Kids who began taking multivitamins before the age of four were 39 percent less likely to have food allergy and allergic runny nose compared to kids who started taking multivitamins later in life or who did not take multivitamins.
Doctors in a probiotics study explained that during the first year of life, infants need communities of friendly microorganisms in the intestine to develop a strong and balanced immune response and that, without these healthy living colonies, kids are much more likely to develop asthma and allergy. Researchers analyzed stool samples from six-month-olds who took Lactobacillus casei or a placebo and found that the probiotics group had a greater number and variety of probiotics species. Doctors said these friendly colonies create a stable environment in the intestines that promotes a strong immune response and helps resist disease.
Reference:
Acta Paediatrica; 2009, Vol. 98, No. 9, 1461-7
