Maternal Omega-3 Supplementation During Pregnancy, But Not Childhood Supplementation, Reduces the Risk of Food Allergy Diseases in Offspring.

BACKGROUND:

Omega-3 supplementation has been reported to modulate immune responses and prevent food allergies among children; however, findings are inconsistent, and the timing of supplementation, which is critical, has not been thoroughly investigated.

OBJECTIVE:

To assess optimal timing (maternal vs. childhood intake) of omega-3 supplementation for reducing food allergy risk among children in two periods (the first three years and beyond three years of age).

METHODS:

We performed a meta-analysis to assess the effects of maternal or childhood omega-3 supplementation on preventing the development of infant food allergies and food sensitizations. The PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for related studies published until October 30, 2022. We conducted dose-response and subgroup analyses to investigate the effects of omega-3 supplementation.

RESULTS:

We found that maternal omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy and lactation was significantly associated with decreased risks of infant egg sensitization (relative risk [RR]: 0.58, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.47 to 0.73, p < 0.01) and peanut sensitization (RR: 0.62, 95% CI.: 0.47 to 0.80, p < 0.01) among children. Similar results were found in subgroup analyses for food allergy, egg sensitization, and peanut sensitization during the first 3 years of age and peanut sensitization and cashew nut sensitization beyond 3 years of age. Dose-response analysis showed a linear relationship between maternal omega-3 supplementation and infant egg sensitization risk during early life. By contrast, intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid during childhood did not appear to significantly protect against food allergies.

CONCLUSION:

Maternal omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, rather than childhood intake, reduces the risk of infant food allergy and food sensitization.