|
Essential Oils |
Bella Mira Essential Oil Supplements
Essential Oil Information and Use
|
Chemical Free |
Chemical Free Body Care Products
Chemical Free Cleaning Products
|
Gluten Free |
Gluten Free Living and Recipes
|
Important Information |
Detoxification and Digestion Products
Save Your Computer Free Protection
|
Great Products |
|
FREE Wellness Tests |
Hormone Balance Test New Improved
|
Contact Us |
(918) 640-2973
Our Shopping Cart Is:
Free Samples w/$100 Order.
Mom's prenatal stress raises risk of asthma, allergy in babies 5-19-08
A new study has found more of allergy antibodies in babies whose moms
experienced stress during pregnancy, suggesting that women's prenatal stress may
predispose their children to asthma and allergy later in their life.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School presented the study at the American
Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Sunday May 18.
Certain environmental substances that cause allergies can increase a child's
chance of developing asthma and the effects may begin prior to birth, said
Rosalind J. Wright, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at Brigham &
Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
But mother's stress during pregnancy can also influence the babies developing
immune system, according to a press release by American Thoracic Society.
Animal studies showed the combination of stress and allergen exposure during
pregnancy may boost the effects on the immune system, making the animals more
susceptible to asthma and allergy.
For the study, the researchers followed 387 pairs of mothers and infants to
examine levels of maternal stress and mother's exposure to dust mite allergen in
their homes and measure cord blood immunoglobulin E (IgE). These infants were
enrolled in the Asthma Coalition on Community, Environment, and Social Stress
(ACCESS) project in Boston.
IgE antibodies are a major type of immunoglobulin made by the body, which are
implicated in allergic reactions. When encountering an allergen, they signal
mast cells to release histamine or other chemicals into the surrounding tissue,
which trigger the common allergic reactions.
The researchers found increased levels of IgE in cord blood in infants whose
mothers experienced higher levels of stress during pregnancy. The association
held true even when they were exposed to relatively low levels of dust mite and
other factors such as race, class, education and smoking habit were considered.
"This research adds to a growing body of evidence that links maternal stress
such as that precipitated by financial problems or relationship issues, to
changes in children’s developing immune systems, even during pregnancy," said
Dr. Wright.
"This further supports the notion that stress can be thought of as a social
pollutant that, when 'breathed' into the body, may influence the body's immune
response similar to the effects of physical pollutants like allergens, thus
adding to their effects."
IgE is just a marker, meaning it is still uncertain whether infants with high
levels of IgE would definitely develop asthma or allergic reactions. Dr. Wright
noted that this needs to be confirmed by continued follow-up. Also the findings
need to be replicated in a larger study population to give a clearer picture of
the association between prenatal stress and childhood asthma development.
"It is notable that these findings were obtained in a U.S. urban population,
which may be more likely to be simultaneously exposed to multiple factors,
including stress and indoor allergens. More studies like this may help explain
why asthma occurs more frequently in these high-risk groups," said Junenette
Peters, Sc.D., postdoctoral research fellow who presented these results.
Regardless, the results suggest that when such exposures - prenatal stress,
allergen exposure - occur together, there is an elevated increase in risk of
asthma and allergies.
An early study led by Entringer S and colleagues from the University of Trier in
Germany and published in the April 2008 issue of Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. showed
that prenatal psychosocial stress exposure was associated with insulin
resistance in young adults.
The current study is the first to show a relationship between stress exposure
during pregnancy and potentially increased risk of asthma and allergies,
according to the release by American Thoracic Society.