Increased food allergy and vitamin D: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

• Published in: Pediatrics international 2014-02, Vol.56 (1), p.6-12
• Main Authors: Norizoe, Chihiro, Akiyama, Naoe, Segawa, Takaaki, Tachimoto, Hiroshi, Mezawa, Hidetoshi, Ida, Hiroyuki, Urashima, Mitsuyoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adult; Breast Feeding - methods; Breastfeeding & lactation; Dietary Supplements; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Eczema; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Food allergies; food allergy; Food Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Food Hypersensitivity - therapy; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Infant, Newborn; infantile eczema; Japan - epidemiology; Male; Pediatrics; prevention; randomized controlled trial; Retrospective Studies; Risk assessment; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - administration & dosage; Vitamins - administration & dosage
• ISSN: 1328-8067; 1442-200X
• DOI: 10.1111/ped.12207

Background To elucidate whether maternal vitamin D supplementation during lactation improves infantile eczema and other subsequent allergic disorders, a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial was performed. Methods Mothers (n = 164) of infants with facial eczema at 1 month check‐up were randomly assigned to receive vitamin D3 supplements (n = 82; 800 IU/day) or placebo (n = 82) for 6 weeks from May 2009 to January 2011. The primary outcome was infantile eczema quantified on Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index at 3 month check‐up, and the secondary outcomes were atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and wheeze diagnosed by doctors up to 2 years of age. Results There was no significant difference in SCORAD at 3 month check‐up between the two groups. Doctor‐diagnosed food allergy was significantly more common up to age 2 years in the vitamin D group (10/39, 25.7%) than in the placebo group (3/40, 7.5%; risk ratio (RR), 3.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–11.77; P = 0.030). Moreover, at least one secondary outcome was also significantly more common in the vitamin D group (17/39, 43.6%) than in the placebo group (7/40, 17.5%; RR, 2.49; 95%CI: 1.16–5.34; P = 0.012). Conclusions Vitamin D supplementation may not decrease the severity of infantile eczema at 3 months of age, but may rather increase the risk of later food allergy up to 2 years of age. Because a large number of subjects was lost to follow up, further study is needed to confirm the findings.