Association of Maternal Erythrocyte PUFA during Pregnancy with Offspring Allergy in the Chinese Population

Findings on prenatal polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and offspring allergies have been inconsistent, and the majority of studies have focused on Western populations. This study aimed to investigate the associations between maternal erythrocyte PUFA and offspring allergies in the first 2 years in the Chinese population. We included 573 mother-infant pairs from a birth cohort. Based on the outpatient medical records, we identified the diagnosis and time of offspring allergic disease onset. We measured erythrocyte fatty acids by gas chromatography. Associations were examined using Cox regression. We found that higher maternal total PUFA levels (HR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.94), especially of arachidonic acid (AA) (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.65, 0.97) and n-3 PUFA (HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.97), were associated with reduced risk of offspring allergies. Similar results were found for eczema. Compared with children without a maternal allergy history, the associations of total PUFA (p = 0.028) and n-6 PUFA (p = 0.013) with offspring allergies were stronger in those with a maternal allergy history. Maternal erythrocyte total PUFA, especially AA, and n-3 PUFA were inversely associated with offspring allergies within 2 years of age. There was a significant interaction between maternal allergy history and maternal PUFA in offspring allergies.

Automated summary

This study investigated the association between maternal erythrocyte PUFA levels and offspring allergies in the Chinese population. The findings revealed that higher levels of total PUFA, particularly arachidonic acid and n-3 PUFA, were associated with a reduced risk of offspring allergies. The associations were stronger in children with a maternal allergy history.