INFLUENCE OF DIETARY MANIPULATION ON INCIDENCE OF ATOPIC DISEASE IN INFANTS AT RISK

Of 5,500 newborn infants whose family histories were screened, 900 wer e found to have anamnestic risk. Cord-blood IgE was evaluable in 4,677 of these newborns, of which 394 had levels greater-than-or-equal-to 1 IU/mL; 84 infants had both anamnestic risk and elevated cord-blood Ig E levels. Parents of infants with anamnestic risk were informed of the ir child's risk of atopy. Additionally, for 391 infants at two of the three participating hospitals, a preventive diet was prescribed that r ecommended breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, with maternal diet restricted to no more than 200 dL of cow milk per day, no more t han one egg per week, and no tomato, fish, shellfish, nuts, or foods a llergenic to the mother. Only soy formula was recommended, and introdu ction of solid foods was also carefully prescribed Furthermore, doctor s recommended against exposure to tobacco smoke, animal allergens, and early entrance into daycare. Evaluable infants whose parents complied with the prescribed diet were found to have a lower incidence of atop y during the first year of life (13.3%, n = 158) than infants whose pa rents had ignored the prescribed diet (54.7%, n = 86) or infants whose parents were offered no dietary recommendations (28.9%, n = 218). Dif ferences between the compliant group and the two groups with unrestric ted diets were significant, indicating that this prescribed diet may p rotect against or delay onset of food allergies during the first year of life.