Association of maternal low-carbohydrate-diet score during pregnancy with allergic diseases at 2 years of age

BACKGROUND

We prospectively evaluated the association between low-carbohydrate-diet (LCD) score during pregnancy and the risk of allergic diseases in infants up to 2 years.

METHODS

Participants were from a prospective mother-offspring cohort study in Wuhan, China. LCD score was calculated according to the percentage of dietary energy intake from carbohydrate, protein, and fat assessed in late pregnancy using validated food frequency questionnaires. Allergic diseases, including immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic diseases, allergic contact dermatitis, and food allergy, were recorded at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postpartum follow-up. Poisson regression models were used to calculate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Among 1636 mother-infant pairs included in the present analysis, 230 infants (14.1%) with IgE-mediated allergic diseases, 77 (4.7%) with allergic contact dermatitis, and 488 (29.8%) with food allergy were, respectively, reported. Independent of total energy intake and other potential confounders, both the lowest quintile (RR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.13-2.77) and the highest quintile (RR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.22-2.63), were associated with the risk of IgE-mediated allergic diseases compared with the middle quintile. Among high-carbohydrate-diet pregnant women, substituting 5% of energy from either protein or fat for carbohydrate was associated with a lower risk of IgE-mediated allergic diseases. While among low-carbohydrate-diet pregnant women, substituting 5% of energy from carbohydrate, especially high-quality carbohydrate, for fat was associated with a lower risk of IgE-mediated allergic diseases.

CONCLUSION

Maternal low carbohydrate-high protein and fat, and high carbohydrate-low protein and fat diet were both associated with an increased risk of allergic diseases in the infants up to 2 years. This study may provide an intervention strategy for allergy prevention in early childhood.

Association between Three Low-Carbohydrate Diet Scores and Lipid Metabolism among Chinese Adults

This study investigated the blood lipid levels of 5921 Chinese adults aged >18 years using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey 2009. Diet information was collected through 3 day, 24 h recalls by trained professionals. The low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) score was determined according to the percentage of energy obtained from carbohydrate, protein, and fat consumption. Dyslipidemia was defined when one or more of the following abnormal lipid levels were observed: high cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using logistic regression models. After adjusting the confounding variables, in males, the OR of hypercholesterolemia was 1.87 (95% CI, 1.23–2.85; p for trend = 0.0017) and the OR of hypertriglyceridemia was 1.47 (95% CI, 1.04–2.06; p for trend = 0.0336), on comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of the LCD score. The animal-based LCD score showed a similar trend. The OR of hypercholesterolemia was 2.15 (95% CI, 1.41–3.29; p for trend = 0.0006) and the OR of hypertriglyceridemia was 1.51 (95% CI, 1.09–2.10; p for trend = 0.0156). However, there was no significant difference between plant-based LCD scores and dyslipidemia. In females, lipid profiles did not differ much among the quartiles of LCD scores—only the animal-based LCD score was statistically significant with hypercholesterolemia. The OR of hypercholesterolemia was 1.64 (95% CI, 1.06–2.55), on comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of the LCD score. In conclusion, a higher LCD score, indicating lower carbohydrate intake and higher fat intake, especially animal-based fat, was significantly associated with higher odds of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in Chinese males. Future studies investigating the potential mechanisms by which macronutrient types and sex hormones affect lipid metabolism are required.