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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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