New research, funded by the National Health Service in Britain has suggested that if pregnant mothers impose certain dietary restrictions on themselves, they could significantly reduce the chances of their child getting asthma.
Women whose children are particularly at risk, are those who either have asthma themselves or have a close family member with asthma, these are the most important group in terms of asthma prevention, and they should be the ones who are considering to follow the dietary restrictions for the duration of their pregnancy. Foods to avoid include nuts, fish and dairy products, and these should be avoided during pregnancy and then during the child’s first year of life. This same group of mothers should also tackle the issue of dust mites in the home in as vigorous a way as they possibly can, as these are thought to also have an influence on the development of asthma.
The study claims that taking these sorts of steps can result in a significant and persistent reduction of asthma rates in childhood. Researchers followed 120 young people who lived on the Isle of Wight, for the duration of their childhood. The participants were split into two groups, depending on whether their parents had followed the dietary and dust-mite advice or not. In the group where the parents had followed all the advice on their children’s wellbeing, the rates of asthma were at 11 percent, which contrasted sharply with the group whose parents had not followed the advice, where the rates of asthma were 26 percent.
Reported in the medical journal, Thorax, this advice may prompt other parents who have a high risk of passing on asthma to their children to consider taking similar steps to ensure that their children’s wellness is as protected as possible.
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