Prenatal Exposure and Breast-feeding by Allergic Mothers

Research shows that up to 34% of infants borne to women who have allergies will develop allergies as well. This is not due to genetic inheritance of allergy for, as we've discussed above, there is no research supporting the existence of an allergy-causing gene. But the allergic mothers do pass something to their progeny - antigens and their associated antibodies. One of the immune mechanisms that mediate allergies, an antibody called IgG, transfers through the placenta from the mother's blood into the fetal blood supply. This causes the fetus to passively develop allergies to the same foods that the mother is allergic to. Mother's milk, which generally reduces the risk of allergy in children, can also transfer allergens and antibodies to infants.

In one study, for instance, a one-month-old breast-fed infant who suffered from chronic allergy-related intestinal problems experienced a full recovery of symptoms when his mother eliminated cow's milk products, egg, and pork - all commonly allergenic foods - from her diet. Food allergies aren't the only conditions "inherited" in utero. Pollen contact in utero can sensitive the developing baby to these aeroallergens, leading to allergic rhinitis and other allergies upon birth. In one study, infants whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to high amounts of the common aeroallergens birch pollen and house dust mites were more likely than other infants to develop allergies to these substances within one month of birth. These infants also experienced higher allergic asthma rates by one year of age.

The transfer of allergen and antibody, however, doesn't fully explain why breast-fed infants become hypersensitive. As it does in all cases of allergy, barrier function default often contributes to infantile allergy development. In fact, the one-month-old infant mentioned above suffered from intestinal permeability, or intestinal barrier function default. It's likely that maternal exposure to factors that cause barrier function default can also damage the barrier functions of developing fetuses. In such cases, it doesn't matter if the mother is allergic or not.



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