Women who have a low intake of vitamin E during pregnancy are more likely to have children that will develop asthma. That's according to researchers from the University of Aberdeen, writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, who also said that vitamin E intake was most critical in the early stages of pregnancy. "Our findings suggest that vitamin E has a dual effect on lung function and airway inflammation and that the effects could change at differing periods of prenatal and early life," said researcher Graham Devereux. "Lung function was associated with early vitamin E exposure independent of atopy, whereas allergic airway inflammation was associated with vitamin E exposure in later pregnancy."
The results follow on form an earlier study with the same group of children. In the earlier study, the researchers found that two-year-olds whose mothers' vitamin E intake during pregnancy had been relatively low were more likely to wheeze even when they had no cold.
In light of the findings from the two studies, the researchers say that the relationship shown between mothers' vitamin E intake during pregnancy and the respiratory health of their children likely "underestimates of the true association." To offset any potential respiratory problems in their children, the researchers recommend that women have an adequate intake of vitamin E rich foods, such as; vegetable oils, margarine, wheat germ, nuts and sunflower seeds.
Source: American Thoracic Society
