Vegetable dietary pattern may protect mild and persistent allergic rhinitis phenotype depending on genetic risk in school children.

BACKGROUND: The effect of diet on allergic rhinitis (AR), its severity in children, and whether it modifies AR depending on genetic susceptibility are unknown. We investigated the association between dietary patterns and AR in school children and the influence of diet on AR according to a genetic risk score (GRS). METHODS: Totally, 435 7-year-old school children were recruited from the Panel Study on Korean Children. We used dietary patterns (vegetable, sugar, and meat) and dietary inflammatory index (DII) as dietary parameters. AR and its severity were defined by questionnaires about treatment in the previous 12 months and the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guideline, respectively. A GRS was calculated using 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms for allergic diseases. RESULTS: A vegetable diet containing a lot of anti-inflammatory nutrients and higher vitamin D level in blood were negatively correlated, while DII was positively correlated with triglyceride level and triglyceride/HDL cholesterol. Vegetable diet (aOR, 95% CI = 0.73, 0.58-0.94) and DII (1.13, 1.01-1.28) were associated with AR risk. In particular, a high-vegetable diet resulted in a lower risk of mild and persistent AR (aOR, 95% CI = 0.24, 0.10-0.56) while a high DII represented a higher risk (2.33, 1.06-5.10). The protective effect of vegetable diet on AR appeared only among children with a lower GRS (adjusted P = .018). CONCLUSIONS: A vegetable dietary pattern characterized by high intake of anti-inflammatory nutrients and higher vitamin D level in blood might be associated with a lower risk of mild and persistent AR. This beneficial effect is modified by a genetic factor.

Maternal Perinatal Dietary Patterns Affect Food Allergy Development in Susceptible Infants.

BACKGROUND: The increasing incidence of food allergy (FA) can be attributed to interactions between genes and the environment, but these interactions are not yet fully clear. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the interaction between infant genetic variations and maternal dietary patterns to identify risk factors in the development of FA. METHODS: We used the Cohort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and allergic diseases birth cohort of 1628 infants, born between 2007 and 2015. Maternal dietary intakes were assessed at 26 weeks of pregnancy using a food frequency questionnaire and grouped according to 5 dietary patterns. Infant cord blood samples were genotyped at 12 loci. RESULTS: Among 1628 infants, 147 (9.0%) were diagnosed with FA based on history. A maternal confectionery diet characterized by a higher intake of baked and sugary products during pregnancy was associated with a higher prevalence of FA (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.517, P = .02); this dietary pattern tended to be higher in trans fat (r = 0.498, P < .001). Development of FA was associated with longer periods of breastfeeding (adjusted OR = 1.792, P = .03), and this dietary pattern was more significantly related to the development of FA in infants with the homozygous TT genotype of CD14 (rs2569190) and more than 1 copy of GSTM1 and GSTT1. CONCLUSIONS: A maternal confectionery diet during pregnancy that majorly consists of baked and sugary products, combined with a longer ensuing period of breastfeeding, may lead to the development of FA, suggesting a harmful effect of trans fats in the infant. Polymorphisms in CD14 and GST in the infant influence FA susceptibility.