Ep. 166: How Pregnancy and Your Baby's Gut Microbiome Play a Role in Food Allergy Prevention
Part of the series: Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Innovations Podcast
This podcast was made in partnership with Allergy & Asthma Network.
Food allergy prevention is something most families think about once a baby starts eating. But the gut microbiome begins developing before birth, and what happens during pregnancy matters for the development of food allergies.
This is a bonus episode from our conversation with Dr. Carina Venter. The clip did not make it into Episode 165, but it was too good not to share. Dr. Payel Gupta and Kortney dig into what Dr. Venter shared about pregnancy, the gut microbiome, and what families can do in that critical first year of life.
What we cover in our episode about pregnancy and food allergy prevention
How the gut microbiome develops before and after birth. From pregnancy through the first year of life, several key factors shape your baby's gut microbiome, including mode of delivery, breastfeeding, and the introduction of solid foods.
What happens if things do not go as planned. A difficult pregnancy, a C-section, or not being able to breastfeed does not mean you have missed your chance to help your baby develop a healthy gut microbiome.
What the research on pregnancy diet actually shows. A look at how maternal diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding may affect a child's risk of allergies.
Early introduction and why it matters. Introducing allergenic foods between four and six months of age and keeping them in the diet consistently may reduce the risk of food allergy by ten to thirty percent.
What to feed your baby to support a healthy gut. Diversity, whole foods, and sustained exposure to allergens are the key takeaways for families starting solids.
About our Guest
Dr. Carina Venter is a registered dietitian and professor of pediatrics in the section of allergy and immunology at Children's Hospital Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. She serves as chair of the International Network of Diet and Nutrition in Allergy and has contributed to major international food allergy guidelines, including EAACI and GA2LEN, with more than 225 peer-reviewed publications on food allergy prevention, diet diversity, and the gut microbiome. Learn more at carinaventer.com.
More resources about food allergies
Podcast episode: Did I Cause My Child’s Food Allergy?
Podcast episode: Early Allergen Introduction
What is a food allergy?
Tips for Saving Money on Allergy-Friendly Food Shopping
Dr. Venter’s Studies
More episodes on managing food allergies in teenagers
Timestamps
Our episode about how pregnancy and starting solid foods can impact food allergy development
01:07 Gut microbiome overview
04:25 Are we born with a gut microbiome?
07:34 Building your baby's gut microbiome
10:40 Dr. Venter's pregnancy and food allergy research
15:23 Starting solids and early allergen introduction
