A study suggests women who eat a lot of fish or meat during pregnancy could protect their unborn against eczema. Researchers have found children with the highest levels of vitamin B3 while pregnant were third less likely to have eczema by age one.
In the UK, about one in five children have the condition, triggered by the immune system overreacting to irritants, causing dry, itchy skin to become infected by continuous scratching.
Nicotinamide, commonly known as vitamin B3, has been used to treat asthma due to its anti-inflammatory properties. However, this study suggests it has a role in the unborn baby’s vulnerability to the condition
The lead author of the study, Sarah El-Heis from Southampton University said “Nicotinamide cream has been used in the treatment of eczema but the link between the mother’s levels of nicotinamide during pregnancy and the offspring's risk of atopic eczema has not been previously studied. The findings point to potentially modifiable influences on this common and distressing condition.”
The team tested for nicotinamide in the blood of 500 pregnant women. Although the study did not ask what the women ate, high protein food like meat, fish, eggs, nuts and coffee contain vitamin B3. Writing in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy, the researchers wrote: “Evidence that attic eczema partly originates in utero is increasing, with some studies linking the risk of developing the condition with aspects of material diet during pregnancy.”
