New research on healthy eating in pregnancy shows that the Mediterranean diet can lessen the risk of your unborn child developing asthma or allergies.

The Mediterranean diet is known to protect the skin against sun damage in adults and to provide some protection against heart attacks and cardiovascular problems.

Now it seems, the same healthy diet during pregnancy can have beneficial effects on your baby's nervous system, protecting your child from allergic responses and asthmatic episodes.

Babies and toddlers whose mothers ate a Mediterranean style diet during pregnancy were significantly less likely to suffer from asthma or allergic reactions, according to new research published in January.

Researchers at the University of Crete and the Area de Salud de Menorca, Spain, observed 468 mothers attending antenatal classes in Menorca, who were tracked from pregnancy up to 6.5 years after the birth of their child.

During this time, the mothers reported at regular intervals on what they and their children ate, and about their children’s respiratory health.

At the end of the study, the children were examined for persistent wheezing and allergic reactions to skin test allergens (atopic responses).

Scoring High on the Mediterranean Diet

The mothers’ and children’s’ diet were scored on how closely they matched the traditional Mediterranean diet, high in fruits, vegetables and fish, legumes, olive oil and dairy products

A score of 4 to 7 indicated a high quality Mediterranean diet, while a score of 3 or less reflected a low quality diet.

About a third of the young mothers ate a poor quality diet, with the rest, eating good quantities of fruits and vegetables, fish, olive oil, legumes and dairy.

These mothers fed their children on a similar diet.

At the end of the study, 13% of the 468 children had persistent wheezing, while 17% responded positively to skin test allergens. Almost 6% had both asthma-like symptoms and positive skin tests.

Mum’s Diet, Not Child’s, Is Important

Strangely, it seemed that what the children ate made no noticeable difference to their atopic responses.

But their mother’s diet during pregnancy was important.

The children of mothers who ate a high quality Mediterranean diet were significantly more likely to be free of asthmatic symptoms and allergies.

Vegetables, Fish, Fruit and Legumes

A diet during pregnancy that included vegetables more than eight times a week, fish more than three times a week, and legumes more than once a week, seemed to be particularly protective.

The researchers noted that, on the other hand, consumption of red meat more than three to four times a week seemed to increase the risks of children developing atopic responses.

The study, 'Mediterranean diet in pregnancy is protective for wheeze and atopy in childhood', was published in the January 2008 edition of the journal Thorax.

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