"Allergies May Develop Before Birth" - Kristen Fischer
It’s estimated that allergies affect 40 percent of children in the United States. Most parents feel powerless to treat these ailments, let alone prevent them. In recent years, several studies have suggested that allergies could be developed while babies are in the womb. This might mean that mothers can modify their diets or take supplements in an effort to limit the development of allergies. Scott Sicherer, MD, professor of pediatrics, allergy and immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai agreed that genetics can play a major role in whether a child has hay fever, asthma, or eczema. In addition, almost 6 million children under the age of 18 — one in 13 kids — have food allergies, and about 30 percent of them are allergic to more than one food. Dr. Sicherer added that “there is no strong rationale to expect that a preconception strategy would be relevant. Women should maintain a healthy diet, but there have been no clinical trials on that theory, as randomizing women into healthy and unhealthy diets would be unethical.
- Scott Sicherer, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai