Asthma is a condition that is not always a result of genetics; in fact there are a lot of factors that can cause asthma in both adults and children including exposure to allergens, and outdoor air pollution. In the article below Dr. Bristow focuses on the presentation of asthma in children and explains how a mother during pregnancy can take preventative measures in order to decrease the chance of her child contracting this condition. Dr. Bristow also offers helpful insight to parents who have children that have been diagnosed with asthma. Anything from supplements to dietary changes can help promote health, and keep some symptoms at bay.
Asthma has been assessed to affect roughly 15% of the global population. The greatest impact is on those between the ages of 10-14. It’s an extremely common condition that some children and teenagers grow out of while others struggle lifelong. There are certain risk factors that put children at an increased risk of developing asthma. Understanding the risk factors allows you to identify which of these your child is susceptible to. Several factors are modifiable: we’ll discuss how you can intervene, lower your child’s susceptibility, and how you can decrease this risk during pregnancy.
Risk Factors for children to develop asthma:
- Indoor allergens and inhaled toxins (such as second-hand cigarette smoke)
- Exposure to dampness and molds
- Outdoor air pollutants (such as heavy traffic/smog)
- Early infant and childhood use of antibiotics and acetaminophen
- Caesarean birth: As the baby passes through the birth canal, the mother’s vaginal flora colonizes the infant’s digestive system with bacteria. Skin to skin breastfeeding and probiotics improve infant bacterial flora if having a C-section. Vaginal seeding is also a possibility but should be discussed with your delivering physician or midwife.
- Nutritional status of mother and child
- Vitamin D status and medication use of mother and child: Ensure Vitamin D levels are optimal for yourself during pregnancy and post-partum if breastfeeding. Infants are recommended to take 400-800 IU/day.
- Heritability: Genetic impact
As you can see, the genetic connection is only 1 of 8 risk factors. This means we have the ability to play a significant role in modifying some of the other factors. One very significant and modifiable area is nutritional status of mom and baby.
Did you know that taking Omega 3 Fatty Acids during pregnancy reduces risk of asthma? Okay so you may not be able to go back in time and change this one, but if you’re thinking about having more children keep this in mind. If you’re currently pregnant or planning pregnancy soon this is crucial. Nutritional status of mom and baby refers to pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and post-partum. All of these stages of preparation, growth and development have an impact on the future health outcomes of our children.
Omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are found naturally in fish oil and have protective effects against inflammatory diseases including asthma and allergies.
Large numbers of epidemiological and observational studies have concluded that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adulthood are protective and preventative against asthma and allergic conditions. When Omega 3’s are consumed during pregnancy at an effective daily dose, the risk of your child developing asthma is reduced by one third! Talk about modifiable! We have so much influence by being mindful of our nutrition and supplementation.
If deciding to eat more fish, please do so responsibly with your health and the environment in mind, have a look here for important details on mercury levels and fish consumption.
If supplementing, pay careful attention to the types of fish used, quality of the supplement, reputation of the company and above all third-party testing for mercury levels.
If your child developed asthma, there’s lots that can be done to support and decrease symptoms while working on the root cause. Omega 3 applies here and is great to include as a supplement and increase in the diet. It’s also important to consider making some dietary changes. Children with asthma, eczema and allergies almost always have some food intolerances.
Using an elimination diet, testing, or working with a Naturopathic Doctor are ideal ways to improve your child’s health and asthma. The immune system also needs to be supported, like with the use of probiotics that can repopulate the bacterial flora and upregulate the intestinal immune system.
For more details on the use of probiotics in children for allergies and eczema, check out that article I wrote on the topic.
And, if you’re curious to learn more about how the digestive immune system works, have at that article.
Until next time, eat fish and breathe easy!
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