All of that can give rise to more than just a peanut allergy, Tun’s team warned. That’s because babies who develop food allergies are known to face a higher long-term risk for also developing asthma, wheezing, eczema and/or allergic rhinitis, he said.
So what are expectant mothers to do?
Since C-sections are one of the principal triggers for low Bacteroides levels among infants, “avoiding C-sections when possible is recommended,” Tun said.
At the same time, he acknowledged that sometimes a C-section is unavoidable. In that case, Tun advises parents to find creative ways to enhance their infant’s exposure to more diverse microbial environments.
Some potential solutions — such as giving C-section babies probiotics or swabbing them with their mother’s vaginal bacteria — “have not been as successful as hoped,” he noted.
But other measures — such as introducing furry pets into the home environment — “could increase Bacteroides abundance in babies,” Tun said.
Meanwhile, “Asian mothers in Western countries should pay special attention to the possibility of developing peanut allergy in their children,” said Tun, even if they don’t have a family history of developing food allergies.
As a practical matter, he suggested that such mothers consider rearing their offspring on traditional Asian diets as “one way to maintain their Asian gut microbiome when they are living in non-Asian environments.”
Tun led the investigation while a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta. The findings were published recently in the journal Gastroenterology.
More information
There’s more information on food allergies at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
