TOPLINE:

Children whose mothers adhered more closely to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) during pregnancy and breastfeeding, particularly when mothers consumed higher amounts of full-fat dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, were less likely to develop food allergies.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers in Greece conducted a sub-cohort analysis of 430 mother-child dyads from a retrospective study, MEDALLION, to examine the association between maternal adherence to the MedDiet and the development of food allergy in children.
• Researchers included 336 mothers of children diagnosed with food allergies and 94 control mothers of healthy children.
• The mothers completed the MedDiet score questionnaire at enrollment and when children reached 24-36 months of age to estimate the weekly consumption of 11 food groups, including unrefined cereals, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, red meat, poultry, full-fat dairy products, olive oil, and alcoholic beverages.

TAKEAWAY:

• Mothers of healthy children had significantly higher MedDiet scores during pregnancy and breastfeeding than those of children with food allergies (P = .02 for both).
• Higher maternal adherence to the MedDiet during both pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.94; 95% CI, 0.89-1.00) and lactation (aOR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-1.00) was associated with reduced odds of food allergies in children.
• A higher consumption of full-fat dairy products (> 15 servings per week) and fruits (> 8 servings per week) during pregnancy, along with vegetables (> 12 servings per week) during breastfeeding, was linked to a lower risk for food allergies in children.
• Eating more than three servings a week of poultry and red meat during pregnancy and breastfeeding was associated with a higher prevalence of food allergies in children.

IN PRACTICE:

“The results of [the] study suggest that emphasizing specific food groups in the MedDiet may enhance its protective effects against allergies,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

Emilia Vassilopoulou, MD, with International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on September 13, 2025, in Allergy.

LIMITATIONS:

The retrospective design, observational nature, reliance on maternal recall regarding diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding, unbalanced ratio of food allergy cases to control individuals, and high baseline intake of certain MedDiet components in the Greek population may have limited the generalizability.

DISCLOSURES:

Two authors reported receiving grants, research funding, and consultancy/lecture fees and serving as advisors on scientific projects of various pharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.