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Giving vitamin supplements to infants just might increase their risk of
developing asthma or food allergies, according to a study reported at a major
pediatric conference. The findings could help explain an epidemic of
allergies and asthma among children in the United States, but more research
is needed to confirm the association.
The study, presented at the 2003 Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in
Seattle, followed more than 8,000 infants from birth to age three. The link
between vitamin supplements and allergies and asthma was strongest for
formula-fed African-American children, who were almost twice as likely to
develop food allergies and one-and-a-half times as likely to develop asthma
if they were given vitamins during their first six months.
The study comes just a month after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
recommended vitamin D supplements for infants. The group noted that vitamin D
deficiency is a particular problem for breastfed infants, because breast milk
contains little of the vitamin. Vitamin D is needed for the absorption of
calcium to develop strong bones.
"We certainly are not saying that the AAP recommendation should not be
followed," says Josh Milner, MD, researcher of the new study. "This research
is very preliminary, and we absolutely need more studies to find out if this
association holds up. A lot more questions have to be answered before we can
even begin to consider clinical recommendations."
Within the last few decades, asthma rates in children have more than doubled
in the United States. It is estimated that almost 5 million children under
the age of 18 suffer from asthma and 8% of children under the age of six have
food allergies.
Milner and colleagues at Washington's Children's National Medical Center
studied children born in 1988 for their first three years. Risk factors known
to be associated with the development of asthma and food allergies were
recorded, as was race and whether the infants were breast- or bottle-fed.
Among the 8,285 children, 11% developed asthma and 5% developed food
allergies by the age of 3. Factors identified as increasing the risk for
asthma included being male, having a smoker in the house, attending daycare,
premature birth, being African-American, bottle-feeding, and low income. The
risk of food allergies was higher in children who attended daycare and were
breastfed.
When all these factors were controlled for, supplements use in the first six
months was linked to a higher risk of asthma in African-American babies who
did not breastfeed. Early supplements use was associated with a higher risk
for food allergies in all races. Taking vitamins after infancy did not affect
asthma risk and it is unclear whether it influenced food allergy risk.
Pediatric asthma and allergy specialist Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD, calls the
early study intriguing, and says the possible link between vitamin
supplements and these disorders of the immune system deserves further study.
But he says it is not yet clear if the association suggested in the study is
real or can be explained by other factors not considered by the researchers.
He also questioned the value of an asthma study that followed children for
only the first three years of life, because he says asthma is difficult to
diagnose in very young children. Rothenberg is director of allergy research
at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
"Given the epidemic of asthma and allergies, this is an important question to
ask," he tells WebMD. But I don't think this study provides many answers."
SOURCES: 2003 Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Seattle, Wash. Josh
Milner, MD, pediatric resident, Children's National Medical Center,
Washington, D.C. Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics,
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
© 2003 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CIMI, CCE, craniosacral therapy
Adjunct faculty, Union Institute and University, Maternal and Child Health:
Lactation Consulting
Supporting the WHO Code and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative
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