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Interactions between breast-feeding, specific parental atopy, and sex on development of asthma and atopy

Piush J Mandhane1, Justina M Greene, Malcolm R Sears

  • 1Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St Joseph's Healthcare, and Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|March 14, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Breast-feeding

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Environmental Health
  • Genetics and Epidemiology

Background:

  • The relationship between breast-feeding and the development of atopy and asthma is debated.
  • Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding this association.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of breast-feeding on asthma and atopy outcomes.
  • To analyze these outcomes based on sex, parental history of atopy, and breast-feeding status.

Main Methods:

  • A birth cohort study was conducted to examine childhood asthma and atopy.
  • Skin prick tests were used to assess atopy.
  • Logistic regression models were employed to explore interactions between sex, parental atopy, and breast-feeding.

Main Results:

  • For boys, breast-feeding was associated with atopy, particularly when paternal atopy was present (OR, 7.39).
  • For girls, breast-feeding increased atopy risk when maternal atopy was present (OR, 3.13).
  • Asthma outcomes followed a similar pattern to atopy outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • The effect of breast-feeding on atopy and asthma development is sex-specific and depends on parental atopy history.
  • These effects are most pronounced in individuals with lower baseline risk.
  • Stratifying analyses by parental atopy and sex is crucial for understanding environmental risk factors.
Abstract

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