Maternal dietary inflammatory status and serum neopterin during pregnancy: influence on infantile atopic eczema in the offspring
Maternal dietary inflammatory status and serum neopterin during pregnancy: influence on infantile atopic eczema in the offspring
Background: a protective influence of maternal inflammatory status on infantile atopic eczema risk has been proposed, but few studies have investigated these potential links. We examined the associations between energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) scores indicative of an inflammatory dietary pattern, maternal serum neopterin levels, a biomarker elevated in Th1 immune activation, and infantile risk of atopic eczema.
Methods: within the UK Southampton Women's Survey, mothers' diets were recorded using questionnaires at preconception, early and late pregnancy and E-DII scores derived. 3006 deliveries of live born infants with no major congenital growth abnormalities who were assessed for atopic eczema at 6 or 12 months (ascertained using the UK Working Party Diagnostic Criteria [n = 2955 and 2871, respectively]). A sub-sample of 497 mothers had serum neopterin measured in late pregnancy.
Results: unadjusted analyses showed that higher E-DII in preconception and late pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of eczema at ages 6 and 12 months. After adjusting for maternal BMI, age, parity, education, smoking during pregnancy, breastfeeding duration and sex, higher E-DII in late pregnancy was associated with reduced risks of eczema at age 6 and 12 months (OR 0.89 [95% CI 0.81, 0.99], p = 0.03 and OR 0.91 [0.82, 1.00], p = 0.05, respectively). Consistent with this, higher maternal serum neopterin was associated with a lower risk of eczema at ages 6 months (OR 0.72 [0.51, 1.01], p = 0.05) and 12 months (OR 0.71 [0.53, 0.96], p = 0.03).
Conclusions: the findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory maternal diet and an inflammatory maternal environment during pregnancy may protect the developing infant from Th2 driven inflammation and lower the risk of infantile atopic eczema.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04715945.
infantile atopic eczema, maternal diet, neopterin, proinflammatory diet
e70080
El-Heis, Sarah
6d7d2e03-3d63-4510-8b7e-fcbe4653db13
Crozier, Sarah R.
9c3595ce-45b0-44fa-8c4c-4c555e628a03
Loo, Evelyn X.
47f08dce-794d-4dac-9928-aec7d57ffae4
Tham, Elizabeth H.
e22014ec-8242-478a-aafc-e4177164f814
Harvey, Nicholas C.
ce487fb4-d360-4aac-9d17-9466d6cba145
Inskip, Hazel M
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Godfrey, Keith M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
25 July 2025
El-Heis, Sarah
6d7d2e03-3d63-4510-8b7e-fcbe4653db13
Crozier, Sarah R.
9c3595ce-45b0-44fa-8c4c-4c555e628a03
Loo, Evelyn X.
47f08dce-794d-4dac-9928-aec7d57ffae4
Tham, Elizabeth H.
e22014ec-8242-478a-aafc-e4177164f814
Harvey, Nicholas C.
ce487fb4-d360-4aac-9d17-9466d6cba145
Inskip, Hazel M
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Godfrey, Keith M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
El-Heis, Sarah, Crozier, Sarah R., Loo, Evelyn X., Tham, Elizabeth H., Harvey, Nicholas C., Inskip, Hazel M and Godfrey, Keith M.
,
Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
(2025)
Maternal dietary inflammatory status and serum neopterin during pregnancy: influence on infantile atopic eczema in the offspring.
Clinical and Translational Allergy, 15 (7), , [e70080].
(doi:10.1002/clt2.70080).
Abstract
Background: a protective influence of maternal inflammatory status on infantile atopic eczema risk has been proposed, but few studies have investigated these potential links. We examined the associations between energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) scores indicative of an inflammatory dietary pattern, maternal serum neopterin levels, a biomarker elevated in Th1 immune activation, and infantile risk of atopic eczema.
Methods: within the UK Southampton Women's Survey, mothers' diets were recorded using questionnaires at preconception, early and late pregnancy and E-DII scores derived. 3006 deliveries of live born infants with no major congenital growth abnormalities who were assessed for atopic eczema at 6 or 12 months (ascertained using the UK Working Party Diagnostic Criteria [n = 2955 and 2871, respectively]). A sub-sample of 497 mothers had serum neopterin measured in late pregnancy.
Results: unadjusted analyses showed that higher E-DII in preconception and late pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of eczema at ages 6 and 12 months. After adjusting for maternal BMI, age, parity, education, smoking during pregnancy, breastfeeding duration and sex, higher E-DII in late pregnancy was associated with reduced risks of eczema at age 6 and 12 months (OR 0.89 [95% CI 0.81, 0.99], p = 0.03 and OR 0.91 [0.82, 1.00], p = 0.05, respectively). Consistent with this, higher maternal serum neopterin was associated with a lower risk of eczema at ages 6 months (OR 0.72 [0.51, 1.01], p = 0.05) and 12 months (OR 0.71 [0.53, 0.96], p = 0.03).
Conclusions: the findings suggest that a pro-inflammatory maternal diet and an inflammatory maternal environment during pregnancy may protect the developing infant from Th2 driven inflammation and lower the risk of infantile atopic eczema.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04715945.
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Clinical Translational All - 2025 - El‐Heis - Maternal Dietary Inflammatory Status and Serum Neopterin During Pregnancy .pdf
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Accepted/In Press date: 4 July 2025
Published date: 25 July 2025
Keywords:
infantile atopic eczema, maternal diet, neopterin, proinflammatory diet
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Local EPrints ID: 504987
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/504987
ISSN: 2045-7022
PURE UUID: 338121d3-d860-4139-86c2-6c88dea9645c
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Date deposited: 23 Sep 2025 17:04
Last modified: 24 Sep 2025 01:49
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Contributors
Author:
Sarah El-Heis
Author:
Evelyn X. Loo
Author:
Elizabeth H. Tham
Corporate Author: Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
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