High sugar intake during pregnancy ups risk of asthma in kids

New Delhi: A research suggests consuming excessive sugar during pregnancy can increase the risk of allergy and allergic asthma in the children.

The study by researchers from the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), revealed a link between free sugars, such as those found in fizzy drinks and processed food, and the inflammatory disease.

It showed that in mothers with the highest sugar intake - added to foods or drinks or sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juices - there was 38 per cent increased risk of allergy in kids, 73 per cent for allergy to two or more allergens, and 101 per cent for allergic asthma.

The association is because high maternal intake of fructose causes a persistent postnatal allergic immune response that can lead to allergic inflammation in the developing lung, the researchers explained.

Interestingly, the offspring's free sugar intake in early childhood was found to have no association with the outcomes seen in the analysis, the researchers added.

For the study, the team recruited nearly 9,000 mother-child pairs starting in the 1990s.

They analysed associations between maternal intake of free sugar in pregnancy and asthma, wheezing, hay fever, eczema, atopy and lung function in children aged 7-9 years.

The results showed maternal intake of free sugar was positively associated with atopy and atopic asthma - the genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis (eczema).

However, no association with eczema or hay fever was found.

"We cannot say on the basis of these observations that a high intake of sugar by mothers in pregnancy is definitely causing allergy and allergic asthma in their offspring," said lead researcher Seif Shaheen, Professor from QMUL.

"However, given the extremely high consumption of sugar, we will certainly be investigating this hypothesis further with some urgency," Shaheen said.

"In the meantime, we would recommend that pregnant women follow current guidelines and avoid excessive sugar consumption," he added.

The findings have been published in the European Respiratory Journal.

(With IANS inputs)