Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T07:31:29.001Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Prematurity, immune function and infant feeding practices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 December 2008

Shelagh M. Hampton
Shelagh M. Hampton*
Affiliation:
Endocrinology and Metabolism Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH, UK
*
Corresponding author: Dr Shelagh M. Hampton, fax +44 (0)1483 576978, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Recently, there has been much interest in the literature in the role of early nutrition and the health of the individual in adulthood. A majority of infants in the UK are born full term, while preterm infants account for 4–6 % of the total births. Milk feeding practices are divided into three groups: breast, combination (breast-fed with formula as‘top-up) and bottle (formula). In studies conducted by our group and other researchers immune function in full-term and preterm infants has been assessed by monitoring total and specific immunoglobulin E and specific immunoglobulin G levels. Dietary modification by the pregnant mother with a history of allergy in the family has been shown to have a positive effect with respect to allergy outcome and prevention of atopic disease in the infant. However, this dietary modification has to occur before week 22 of pregnancy and continue until the end of lactation to achieve a beneficial outcome to the infant. The stress of mothers restricting their diets may be disadvantageous to the fetus, and therefore any gain due to the dietary restriction may be lost. Researchers have shown that the early introduction of complementary foods and the greater diversity of these foods appeared to result in an increase in the incidence of atopic disease in the infant. In conclusion, in order to reduce the risk in their babies, mothers with a family history of atopic disease should breast-feed for more than 15 weeks and introduce solid foods after 4 months, limiting the variety until at least 6 months.

Keywords

Infant feeding practicesImmune functionAtopic disease
Type
Reproduction and Development Group Symposium on ‘Nutrition and immunology from fetal life to old age’
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 58 , Issue 1 , February 1999 , pp. 75 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

References

Arvola, T, Rantala, I, Marttinen, A & Isolaurii, E (1992) Early dietary antigens delay the development of gut mucosal barrier in preweaning rats. Pediatric Research 32, 301–305.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cant, AJ, Bailes, JA, Marsden, RA & Hewitt, D (1986) Effect of maternal dietary exclusion on breast fed infants with eczema: two controlled studies. British Medical Journal 293, 231–233.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1994) Weaning and the Weaning Diet. Report of the Working Group on the Weaning Diet of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy. London: H. M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Fälth-Magnusson, K & Kjellman, N-IM (1992) Allergy prevention by maternal elimination diet during late pregnancy: A 5-year follow-up of a randomised study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 89, 709–713.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fälth-Magnusson, K, Kjellman, N-IM & Magnusson, K-E (1988) Antibodies IgG, IgA, and IgM to food antigens during the first 18 months of life in relation to feeding and development of atopic disease. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 81, 743–749.Google Scholar
Fergusson, DM, Horwood, J & Shannon, FT (1990) Early solid feeding and recurrent childhood eczema: A longitudinal study. Pediatrics 86, 541–546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forsyth, JS, Ogston, SA, Clark, A, du V Florey, C & Howie, PW (1993) Relation between early introduction of solid food to infants and their weight and illnesses during the first two years of life. British Medical Journal 306, 1572–1576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hattevig, G, Kjellman, B & Bjorksten, B (1993) Appearance of IgE antibodies to ingested and inhaled allergens during the first 12 years of life in atopic and non-atopic children. Pediatric Allergy Immunology 4, 182–186.Google Scholar
Jones, AC, Miles, EA, Warner, JO, Colwell, BM, Bryant, TN & Warner, JA (1996) Fetal peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferative responses to mitogenic and allergenic stimuli during gestation. Pediatric Allergy Immunology 7, 109–116.Google Scholar
Kajosaari, M & Saarinen, U (1983) Prophylaxis of atopic disease by six months total solid food elimination. Acta Paediatrica Scandinavica 72, 411–414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lovegrove, JA, Hampton, SM & Morgan, JB (1994) The immunological and long term atopic outcome of infants born to women following a milk-free diet during pregnancy and lactation: a pilot study. British Journal of Nutrition 71, 223–238.Google Scholar
Motolese, A, Scacchetti, AT & Scarabello, A (1998) Serum eosinophilic cationic protein affected by atopic dermatitis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 101, 811.Google Scholar
Roberton, DM, Paganelli, R & Dinwiddle, R (1982) Milk antigen absorption in the preterm and term neonate. Archives of Disease in Childhood 18, 1252–1257.Google Scholar
Sigurs, N, Hattevig, G & Kjellman, B (1992) Maternal avoidance of eggs, cow's milk and fish during lactation: Effect on allergic manifestations, skin-prick tests, and specific IgE antibodies in children at age 4 years. Pediatrics 89, 735–739.Google Scholar
Sigurs, N, Hattevig, G, Kjellman, B, Kjellman, N-IM, Nilsson, L & Björkstén, B (1994) Appearance of atopic disease in relation to serum IgE antibodies in children followed up from birth for 4 to 15 years. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 94, 757–763.Google Scholar
Wilson, AC, Forsyth, SC, Greene, SA, Irvine, L, Hagau, C & Howie, PW (1998) Relation of infant diet to childhood health: seven year follow up of children in Dundee infant feeding study. British Medical Journal 316, 21–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed