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Lifestyle factors and sensitization in children - the ALADDIN birth cohort
1Department of Clinical Science and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Södersjukhuset, Sachs' Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. fredrik.stenius@sodersjukhuset.se
Insights
An anthroposophic lifestyle significantly reduces allergy risk in children. This study followed 330 children, finding reduced allergic sensitization in those with anthroposophic or partly anthroposophic lifestyles.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Lifestyle Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cross-sectional studies suggest an anthroposophic lifestyle lowers allergy risk in children.
- The ALADDIN birth cohort was established to investigate specific mediating factors.
- This study aims to describe the cohort and report early-life exposure and sensitization patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the ALADDIN birth cohort.
- To investigate exposure patterns in infancy.
- To report allergic sensitization rates in the first two years of life.
Main Methods:
- Prospective birth cohort study including 330 children.
- Data collection via questionnaires and biological samples from parents and children.
- Blood samples analyzed at birth and at 6, 12, and 24 months.
Main Results:
- Lifestyle factors like diet and medication use differed between groups.
- Children with anthroposophic lifestyles showed significantly reduced allergic sensitization (aOR 0.25).
- Partly anthroposophic lifestyles also correlated with lower sensitization risk (aOR 0.31).
Conclusions:
- An anthroposophic lifestyle is associated with a reduced risk of IgE sensitization in infancy.
- Identifying specific lifestyle factors is crucial for allergy prevention.
- Findings highlight the clinical importance of lifestyle in early allergy development.
Background:
Several cross-sectional studies indicate that an anthroposophic lifestyle reduces the risk of allergy in children. We initiated the Assessment of Lifestyle and Allergic Disease During Infancy (ALADDIN) birth cohort to elucidate the role of specific factors supposed to mediate this effect. The aims of this study are to describe the ALADDIN cohort and to report patterns of exposure and allergic sensitization during the first years of life.
Methods:
The ALADDIN study is a prospective birth cohort study of 330 children from families with an anthroposophic, partly anthroposophic, or nonanthroposophic lifestyle. The children and their parents were following an extensive data collection scheme, including repeated questionnaires and biological samples. Blood samples were collected from the parents and from the child at birth as well as at 6, 12, and 24 months of age.
Results:
Several lifestyle factors differed between the groups, such as diet, medication, and place of delivery. Children of families with an anthroposophic lifestyle had a markedly decreased risk of sensitization during the first 2 years of life compared with children of nonanthroposophic families with adjusted OR 0.25 (95% CI 0.10-0.64) and P-value 0.004. A similar situation held true for children from families with a partly anthroposophic lifestyle, adjusted OR 0.31 (95% CI 0.15-0.54), and P-value 0.002.
Conclusions:
The anthroposophic lifestyle comprises several factors of interest for allergy development and is here shown to be associated with reduced risk of IgE sensitization already in infancy. Identifying the factors responsible for this association would be of significant clinical importance.
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