Seasons may hold the key to food allergies found in babies

Babies whose first three months in the womb occurred in springtime are more likely to suffer from food allergies, such as to milk and eggs.

About 11 per cent of children whose 11th week of development in the womb was in April or May were more likely to suffer food allergy, a study found.

This compared with six per cent of children whose 11th week was in December or January.

Overall, the April/May group was three times more likely to be sensitive to milk and eggs than the December/January group.

Experts have already shown a link between pollen and food allergies, and the latest study supports this association.

Checks on pollen levels over the study period showed that levels of birch and alder pollen peaked during April and May.

The research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, involved 5,973 children born between April 2001 and March 2006 who lived in south-east Finland.

Of this group, 18 per cent had tested positive for food allergies by the time they were four.

The results showed that by this age, sensitivity to food allergy varied according to month of birth, from five per cent of children born in June/July to 10 per cent for October/November. Previous research has shown that babies born in autumn or winter are more prone to eczema and wheezing, identified by higher levels of circulating antibodies to allergens in their blood than those born in spring or summer.

Experts believe babies in the womb begin to produce antibodies at around the 11th week of development.

The authors, from Oulu University Hospital in Finland, said children whose 11th gestational week fell in April/May might be more heavily exposed than other children to viral infections and deficiency of vitamin D in their neonatal period occurring in mid-winter.