How our environment could trigger allergies long before we’re even born
To better understand how children develop allergies so early in life, I researched the effects of environmental factors on the chance of developing allergies to the air (the full study will be published in the coming months in an issue of the journal Mechanisms of Ageing and Development in Epigenetics).
Allergies can start before we’re born.
While genes predispose to is a major risk factor, scientists have known for many years that what women consume and breathe could affect their babies who are not yet born. The past decade has witnessed new scientific evidence for the connection between a mother’s diet, lifestyle during pregnancy, and the health of her child later on.
Recent findings from the Flemish baby cohort study that looked at the mothers’ and children’s lives that were funded through the Flemish Government and managed by the leading European independently-run research and technological organization VITO revealed a connection with exposure to air pollutants prior to the birth (mainly nitrogen dioxide as well as the particles PM10) in addition to the onset of wheezing and asthma symptoms in toddlers of three years old.
So, we are aware that exposure to chemicals prior to birth could have an impact on the likelihood of a child developing allergies later on in life. Recent research explains this connection between epigenetic DNA methylation modifications caused by environmental factors.
Let’s dissect the science-based language for a moment. Our DNA, also known as our genetic blueprint, dictates how we appear and, to a certain extent, our character. Epigenetics – which is all non-genetic changes “on” genes that do not alter the DNA sequence itself is responsible for the rest of the particulars.
If epigenetic DNA methylation takes place, this implies that the methyl group (-CH3) can be added to the DNA, which alters the way that genes manifest themselves or how they behave.
The presence of methyl groups in our DNA may alter the expression of genes. Sabine Langie/VITO, CC BY-ND
For instance, mothers exposed to chemical substances or who eat the wrong diet – such as the contemporary Western diet, which has a major focus on processed food that is not high in antioxidants but high in saturated fats, particularly during the initial stages of pregnancy, may change the DNA methylation sequences of the DNA of their infants and turn some genes off and some on and thus increasing the chance of a baby developing allergies.
Regular consumption of vegetables, fruits, and fish, however, is associated with a less frequent occurrence of asthma. A diet that is high in polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids (also found in seeds, nuts, and oysters, among others) could actually help neutralize the allergic response.
Regular intake of fruits may aid in reducing asthma. Bill Ebbessen/Wikimedia, CC BY-ND
Additionally, a high degree of adherence to what’s known as the “Mediterranean diet” – olive oil and goat’s cheese and fruit, among other foods, early in life may help protect against the formation of allergies in children.
These epigenetic changes can be, to a certain degree, reversible. Research studies demonstrate that epigenetic modifications leading to higher body weight can be reversed through the intake of essential nutrients like betaine folate.
