Many parents know how challenging it is to listen to a baby who cries for hours and will not settle. This kind of crying is called colic. A new study suggests that what a woman eats while pregnant may play a part in whether her baby develops colic. It may also affect the chance of a skin problem called eczema.
The work came from researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. It appeared in October in JAMA Network Open, a medical journal.
Why the team looked at this
Dr. Jenifer Lightdale, a children’s stomach and digestion specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, explained why the team looked at this. Her earlier research indicated that babies with colic are more likely to have allergy-related problems later in life. These include asthma, hay fever, and food allergies. Babies who have both colic and eczema may face the highest risk. Until now, no one had studied how a mother’s diet before birth might shape the odds of colic.
Most earlier studies looked at what happens after birth. For example, they asked whether a nursing mother changing her meals or a family switching baby formula could ease colic once it had started. This study asked a different question. It looked at the diet during pregnancy.
How the study worked
The team used information from Project Viva. More than 1,300 pregnant women joined between April 1999 and November 2002 through clinics in eastern Massachusetts. The women filled out food questionnaires again and again during pregnancy.
The researchers then gave each woman’s eating habits two scores. The first was a Mediterranean Diet Score. A high score meant many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and healthy fats, with moderate amounts of dairy and lean meat. The second was a Dietary Inflammation Index. A high score here meant a less healthy pattern, with plenty of red and processed meat, sugary drinks, salt, and refined grains. The women also reported how often they ate foods that often cause allergies, such as peanuts and other nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, and dairy.
What they found
About one in four babies, or 26 percent, had colic. About 5 percent had both colic and eczema. Women who followed a Mediterranean-style diet more closely were less likely to have a baby with both problems. For every one-point rise in the Mediterranean score, the risk declined by 15 percent. In contrast, every one-point rise in the inflammation score went with a 34 percent higher risk.
Seafood stood out. For each serving of seafood a woman ate per week, her baby’s chance of having both colic and eczema was 25 percent lower. Dairy, eggs, and nuts showed no link. The patterns were strongest among babies whose mothers had a history of allergies.
What the experts say
Dr. Emily Oken, lead author and president of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, said the results give one more reason to help pregnant women eat well, especially to include seafood. She also noted that many mothers want to do everything right but face barriers like cost and limited access to healthy food. She hopes the findings help families and also programs that support nutrition, such as WIC and SNAP, as well as “food is medicine” programs run by health plans.
This kind of study shows a link, not proof that diet caused the lower risk. Mothers also reported their meals, which may not be exact. Anyone who is pregnant should speak with a doctor before changing their diet, especially about which fish are safe. A balanced plate helps everyone.
