Nutrition, Allergy, Mucosal Immunology and Intestinal Microbiota (NAMI): Pre-, Peri- and Postnatal Programming and Origins of Disease: Early Targeting the Epidemics of Allergy and Overweight

While allergic diseases comprise the most common chronic disease in childhood, obesity is the most prevalent nutritional disorder among children throughout the world. In Europe, an estimated 20% of children and adolescents are overweight with one-third of these being considered obese. Moreover, escalation of these problems is expected in the future, since the velocity of propagation is highest in children. Although genetic factors can determine the propensity of an individual to become allergic or obese, these unlikely explain the recent and progressive worldwide increases in incidence. Rather, it would appear that the environmental changes more directly shape the risk during a critical period of life when the scene is set for the consolidation of the immune responder type. Prenatal environmental exposures may alter gene expression via epigenetic mechanisms, heritable changes in gene expression occurring without alterations in the DNA sequences.

Specifically current research interest is directed towards health promotion and reducing the risk of disease evaluating the probiotic effects with specific foods and nutrients, and assessing their interactions in optimal combination and food matrix. For this purpose a series of interventions studies evaluate the both the optimal timing of probiotic intervention and the optimal mode of administration.

Sections:

Prenatal

RCT 2 Randomized, parallel-design clinical trial of 3 groups. Pregnant women (n=256) from families with at least one member having an allergic disease have been recruited from maternal welfare clinics and randomly assigned to control group or one of the intervention groups. Mothers in the dietary intervention groups received dietary counselling with specific attention to the quality and quantity of fat in the diet. To promote the achievement of current dietary recommendations, mothers have been provided with foods which have a favourable fat composition (e.g. spreads). The subjects in the intervention groups have been further randomized (double-blind randomization) to receive either placebo or a probiotic preparation, 1010 cfu of both Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis and controls received placebo in a single-blind manner. Dietary food products and probiotic supplementation have been continued from the 1st trimester of pregnancy until the end of exclusive breast feeding, maximum of 6 months.