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Maternal diet and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in young children
Eleni Petridou1, Evangelos Ntouvelis, Nick Dessypris
1Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Athens University Medical School, 75 Mikras Asias str., Goudi, Athens 115-27, Greece. epetrid@med.uoa.gr
Insights
Maternal diet during pregnancy impacts childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) risk. Consuming fruits, vegetables, and fish may lower ALL risk, while higher sugar and meat intake could increase it.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Chromosomal abnormalities linked to leukemia are present at birth.
- Maternal factors, including prenatal nutrition, are hypothesized to influence childhood leukemia risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal dietary intake during pregnancy and the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in young children.
Main Methods:
- A nationwide case-control study was conducted in Greece involving 131 children with ALL and 131 matched controls.
- Mothers were interviewed using a food frequency questionnaire to assess diet during pregnancy.
- Conditional logistic regression was used for analysis, controlling for energy intake and confounders.
Main Results:
- Increased maternal intake of fruits, vegetables, and fish/seafood was associated with a lower risk of ALL.
- Higher maternal intake of sugars/syrups and meat/meat products was associated with an increased risk of ALL.
- Specific odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported for each food group.
Conclusions:
- A maternal diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish during pregnancy may be associated with a reduced risk of childhood ALL.
- Maternal consumption of sugars, syrups, and meat products may be associated with an elevated risk of childhood ALL.
- These findings suggest that a healthy maternal diet could play a role in preventing childhood leukemia.
Abstract:
Because leukemia clone-specific chromosomal abnormalities are present at birth in children who later develop leukemia, it has been hypothesized that maternal factors, including nutrition during pregnancy, might affect the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) among young children. We have evaluated this hypothesis in a nationwide case-control study of ALL among children ages 12 to 59 months in Greece. Children (n=131) with ALL were gender and age matched to control children (n=131) hospitalized for minor conditions between 1999 and 2003. The mothers of the children were interviewed in person by trained interviewers who used an extensive food frequency questionnaire addressing diet during the index pregnancy. The analysis was done by modeling the data through conditional logistic regression, also controlling for total energy intake and possible confounding factors. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were expressed per quintile increase of maternal intake during pregnancy of the specified food group. The risk of ALL in the offspring was lower with increased maternal intake of fruits (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.91), vegetables (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.60-0.95), and fish and seafood (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.59-0.89) and higher with increased maternal intake of sugars and syrups (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.05-1.67) and meat and meat products (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.00-1.57). Children of women who tend to consume during their pregnancies what is currently considered to be a healthy diet maybe at lower risk of ALL.
