Eating Avocados During Pregnancy is Linked to Lower Food Allergy Risk in Babies
Eating avocado during pregnancy is linked to a significantly lower food allergy risk for the babies, according to new research.
The study involving 2,272 mother-baby pairs in Finland found that tots had 44% lower odds of developing food allergies at 12 months old if their mother consumed fresh avocado while pregnant.
Decades of research have explored the relationship between maternal diet and allergies in infants, but the new study, published in the journal Pediatric Research, is the first to link avocados in the maternal diet to a lower risk of potentially deadly food allergies, which affect around one in 13 children.
“There is no cure for food allergy, but promising prevention and therapeutic strategies are in development as well as emerging research such as this,” said study author Dr. Sari Hantunen, of the University of Eastern Finland.
The research team assessed avocado intake from food questionnaire data collected from 2013 to 2022 during the mothers’ first and third trimesters.
Participants who reported eating any avocado in either trimester were defined as avocado consumers.
Infant allergic outcomes—including rhinitis, paroxysmal wheezing, and eczema—were then evaluated in children when they reached 12-months-old.
After adjusting for factors including gestational age at delivery, education, diet quality, smoking, alcohol consumption and breastfeeding, food allergy was found to be “significantly higher” in infants of non-avocado consumers (4.2%) compared to avocado consumers (2.4%).
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No associations were found for other allergic conditions when all other factors were considered.
The analysis also showed that moms who ate avocado during pregnancy tended to be older at delivery, be less likely to undergo a caesarean delivery, be a non-smoker, breastfeed for a longer duration, have higher diet quality scores, and have lower BMI levels in the first trimester.
Dr. Hantunen said findings from the study cannot establish causation or be applied to all audiences, but they “underscore” the value of avocados—even though more research is needed to understand the exact mechanism.
“Based on these findings, it’s encouraging to know that eating avocados may provide even more value to maternal and children’s health,” she said, “beyond the benefits that have already been established through scientific research.”
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Avocados are known to be a nutrient-dense food, high in beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids. New research indicates that daily intake could lower bad cholesterol and is a sure way to improve gut health. Eating them twice weekly is linked with lowering heart disease by 16-22%.
In one case, a 5-year-old girl was having as many as 60 seizures per day, but now, after incorporating avocados into her diet, she now only suffers through about 4 seizures per year—after eating roughly 2 of the big-pitted fruits every day.
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