The First 1000 Days of Life: How Changes in the Microbiota Can Influence Food Allergy Onset in Children

Background: Allergic disease, including food allergies (FA)s, has been identified as a major global disease. The first 1000 days of life can be a “window of opportunity” or a “window of susceptibility”, during which several factors can predispose children to FA development. Changes in the compositio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrients 2023-09, Vol.15 (18), p.4014
Main Authors: Notarbartolo, Veronica, Carta, Maurizio, Accomando, Salvatore, Giuffrè, Mario
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allergens
Analysis
Antigens
Asthma
breastfeeding
Breastfeeding & lactation
complementary feeding
Diet
Disease
DNA methylation
Epigenetics
first 1000 days of life
Food allergies
Food allergy
food allergy (FA)
Gene expression
gut microbiota
human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)
Hypotheses
Immune system
Infants (Newborn)
Microbiota
Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms)
Microorganisms
Newborn babies
Pregnancy
Review
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
Systems development
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Summary:Background: Allergic disease, including food allergies (FA)s, has been identified as a major global disease. The first 1000 days of life can be a “window of opportunity” or a “window of susceptibility”, during which several factors can predispose children to FA development. Changes in the composition of the gut microbiota from pregnancy to infancy may play a pivotal role in this regard: some bacterial genera, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, seem to be protective against FA development. On the contrary, Clostridium and Staphylococcus appear to be unprotective. Methods: We conducted research on the most recent literature (2013–2023) using the PubMed and Scopus databases. We included original papers, clinical trials, meta-analyses, and reviews in English. Case reports, series, and letters were excluded. Results: During pregnancy, the maternal diet can play a fundamental role in influencing the gut microbiota composition of newborns. After birth, human milk can promote the development of protective microbial species via human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which play a prebiotic role. Moreover, complementary feeding can modify the gut microbiota’s composition. Conclusions: The first two years of life are a critical period, during which several factors can increase the risk of FA development in genetically predisposed children.
ISSN:2072-6643
2072-6643
DOI:10.3390/nu15184014