Diet for the prevention of asthma and allergies in early childhood: Much ado about something?

In the last decades there has been an increase in allergic disease throughout the world, particularly in children. Attempts have been made to identify the causes of this allergy epidemic in environmental changes and changes in population hygiene, lifestyle, socioeconomic level, and eating habits that would exert epigenetic effects. Dietetic hypotheses have been mainly focussed in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin D, antioxidants, Mediterranean diet, and fruits, vegetables and fish consumption. Although the data suggest a certain association between diet and the development of asthma/allergy, there is no evidence that diet has an impact upon the prevalence of such diseases after early infancy. If indeed there is such an impact, it is likely to be confined to the prenatal period and the first months of life - when it is still possible to modulate the development of the respiratory, digestive and immune systems. Thus, once the most appropriate preventive measures have been defined, these should be implemented during pregnancy and lactation. The existing scientific evidence is unable to recommend any primary preventive measure in the general population or in different population subgroups. Special or restrictive diets in pregnant or nursing women are not indicated. Exclusive breastfeeding for six months is questioned, since solid foods should begin to be introduced at around four months of age. Once the atopic process has started, no nutritional strategies have been found to be effective as secondary or tertiary preventive measures. Longitudinal studies in cohorts of pregnant women or newborn infants could help clarify these issues. (C) 2011 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.