Cesarean Delivery May Be a Risk Factor for Food Allergy in Predisposed Infants NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sept 03 - There is an association between cesarean section delivery and subsequent food allergy, especially among children of mothers with allergies, according to study results published in the August issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. "Cesarean delivery might delay the colonization of the newborn intestine," Dr. Merete Eggesbo, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues note. "A delayed or aberrant colonization process has been offered as an explanation for the increase in allergic disease." The researchers prospectively obtained data on mode of delivery, maternal or infant use of antibiotics, and potential confounders in a population- based cohort of 2803 children. Main outcomes included parental perception of reactions to egg, fish, or nuts, as well as objectively confirmed reactions to egg at 2-1/2 years of age. In a logistic regression analysis, cesarean section was associated with an odds ratio of 7.07 for parentally perceived reactions to egg, fish, or nuts (p = 0.005) among children allergic mothers. The odds ratio was a 4.1 for confirmed egg allergy (p = 0.08) in these children. The association between cesarean section and the risk of food allergy was weak and not significant among children whose mothers were not allergic. There was no association between maternal or infant antibiotic use and an increased risk of food allergy. These results "lend circumstantial support to the importance of microbiologic stimuli in early life," Dr. Eggesbo and colleagues conclude. They say this might be another factor to consider when mode of delivery is discussed with pregnant women. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003;112:420-426. *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html