To Your Health
March, 2018 (Vol. 12, Issue 03) |
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Boost Your Baby's Immune System
By Editorial Staff
Anyone with an allergy, which is generally caused by an immune system hypersensitivity, knows the frustration that accompanies it, whether it's an allergy to a particular food, pollen, type of grass or any one of countless household irritants.
Some allergic reactions result in rashes or other "minor" symptoms such as sneezing or wheezing, while others can be life threatening. Regardless, allergies compromise your health and quality of life. Now imagine your child suffers from the same allergy or allergies. Wish you could have done something to prevent it?
Believe it or not, mothers may be able to help their children reduce their allergy risk – before they're even born and immediately after birth. Research suggests women who consume fish-oil supplements during pregnancy and while breastfeeding reduce their child's risk of developing an egg allergy (the most common allergy) by 31 percent compared to mothers who took no fish-oil supplements during that time frame.
Published in the research journal PLoS One, the research review also found that children whose mothers took probiotics after week 36 of the gestation period and while breastfeeding had a 22 percent reduced risk of suffering eczema compared to children whose mothers did not take probiotics. Eczema is an autoimmune disorder with symptoms ranging from red, itchy skin to rashes and blisters.
Increasing evidence also suggests probiotics and fish-oil supplements are beneficial for adults, so don't think supplementing with either or both is only helping your future child. Talk to your doctor to learn more.
