Diet and Allergies

New European research suggests that moms-to-be who eat lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts and fish while pregnant give birth to children who are significantly less likely to suffer from allergies. The study also found that eating high levels (more than three or four times a week) of red meat increased the risk of the children suffering.


The research, carried out by the University of Crete, looked at 468 mothers and their children from the Spanish island of Menorca. It found that eating vegetables more than eight times a week and following a diet rich in olive oil, fruit, legumes (such as beans and lentils) and fish, is particularly healthy and anti-allergy. Children born to women who followed this kind of diet most closely were 78% less likely to have asthma by the time they reached 6 years of age, compared with women who didn’t follow it.

Previous research carried out by the same team found that children who followed Mediterranean diet seemed to be protected from asthma and allergies, but the new study indicates that the protective effect begins even before birth.