|
|
Article: Does taking vitamins give kids asthma and allergies?(Literature Review & Commentary)
- Article from:
- Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
- Article date:
- December 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Townsend Letter Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The association between use of vitamin supplements during the first six months of life and risk of developing asthma or food allergies during early childhood was assessed in a prospective cohort study of more than 8,000 children. After adjustment for potential confounding variables (including breastfeeding, smoker in the household, race, income, and prematurity), a history of vitamin use within the first six months of life was associated with a 27% increase in risk of asthma in black infants, and a 63% increase in risk of food allergies in exclusively formula-fed children.
Comment: The findings in this study are surprising, because several components of the ...