Photo Credit: Istock.com/sakkmesterke

At twelve months, infants whose mothers consumed avocado during pregnancy have a significantly lower risk for food allergies, according to a recent study.

Twelve-month-old offspring of mothers who consumed avocado during pregnancy exhibit a substantially lower risk of developing food allergies, according to a recent study published online in Pediatric Research.

“Maternal exposures, such as nutrition during pregnancy, can affect offspring health outcomes,” noted corresponding author Sari Hantunen of the University of Eastern Finland and colleagues. “Consuming certain nutrients, which are found in avocados, during pregnancy [has] been associated with lower allergic health outcomes in children.”

Leveraging data from the Kuopio Birth Cohort (KuBiCo), the authors examined the association between maternal avocado intake during gestation and allergic health outcomes in the first year of life.

Methodology

The researchers’ prospective analysis drew on 2,272 mother–infant dyads selected from 7,944 participants in KuBiCo, who completed trimester-specific online food frequency questionnaires from March 2013 to November 2022. Participants were dichotomized into avocado consumers (any reported intake in the first or third trimester) and non-consumers (zero grams in both trimesters). Offspring allergic outcomes—including rhinitis, paroxysmal wheezing, physician-diagnosed eczema, and food allergy—were ascertained via standardized 12-month follow-up questionnaires.

Key covariates comprised maternal age, educational attainment, parity, first-trimester body mass index, mode of delivery, neonatal intensive care unit admission, breastfeeding duration, alcohol consumption, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores, overall diet quality (Alternative Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy), and smoking status. The authors used multivariable logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for each allergic outcome, with statistical significance set at P<0.05.

Evidence of Risk Reduction

Among the 2,272 mothers, 48.2% reported consuming avocado during gestation, according to the study. After adjustment for all covariates, maternal avocado intake was associated with a 43.6% reduction in the odds of infant food allergy at 12 months (adjusted OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.34–0.92; P = 0.019). Although paroxysmal wheezing incidence was lower in avocado consumers on unadjusted analysis (9.8% vs. 13.3%; P = 0.009), this association attenuated after full adjustment (P = 0.085). No statistically significant differences emerged for rhinitis or eczema.

Proposed Mechanisms

“The potential benefit of avocados during pregnancy might be explained by various mechanisms at the nutrient level (eg, antioxidants, fiber, and monounsaturated fat),” the authors proposed. They referenced preclinical studies demonstrating that maternal gut microbial production of short-chain fatty acids, derived from dietary fiber, modulates key immune pathways via epigenetic effects in the fetus, thereby mitigating allergic responses in offspring.

Limitations & Future Exploration

The authors acknowledged several limitations: reliance on self-reported dietary intake and health outcomes, potential residual confounding, the observational nature precluding causal inference, and constrained generalizability given that all participants were women likely to deliver at a single Finnish university hospital.

Nonetheless, the authors concluded, “This prospective cohort study demonstrated that 12-month-old infants have lower odds of developing food allergies if their mothers consumed avocado during pregnancy … Future studies are warranted to explore this association in other populations.”