The influence of diet in early childhood on later allergic diseases is currently a highly debated research topic. We and others have suggested that an increased diet diversity in the first year of life has a protective effect on the development of allergic diseases.
The aim of this follow-up study was to investigate associations between diet in the 2nd year of life and later allergic diseases.
1014 children from rural areas in 5 European countries (PASTURE birth cohort) were included. Information on feeding practices in their 2 nd year of life and allergic diseases were collected up to age 6 years. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed, with different models considering reverse causality, such as excluding children with a positive sensitization to egg and/or cow’s milk at the age of 1 year.
An increased food diversity score during the 2nd year of life, was negatively associated with the development of asthma. Consumption of dairy products and eggs in the 2nd year of life showed an inverse association with reported allergic outcomes. Consumption of butter was strongly associated with protection against asthma and food sensitization. Egg was inversely associated to atopic dermatitis (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.77). Yogurt and cow’s milk were inversely associated against food allergy (OR for yogurt 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.55; OR for cow’s milk 0.31, 95% CI 0.11-0.89).
Increased food diversity in the 2nd year of life is inversely associated with the development of asthma, and consumption of dairy products might have a protective effect on allergic diseases.

Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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