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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The authors of this study relied on medical records, as well as questionnaires filled out by parents when their children were 6 months of age and 1 year. All children were born in western Sweden in 2003.
By 12 months of age, almost 21 percent of infants had eczema or had experienced it previously. The average age of onset was 4 months.
The strongest risk factor was a family history, particularly children of mothers and siblings who had had eczema.
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Infants who started eating fish before 9 months of age, however, were 25 percent less likely to be affected. Children who lived in a household with a bird were also less likely to develop eczema, possibly because birds are usually kept inside, exposing children continuously to endotoxin, toxins found inside pathogens.
The type of fish consumed had no effect on the risk of developing eczema, suggesting that omega-3 fatty acids, as had been proposed earlier, had nothing to do with the benefit.
Breast-feeding, the age at which dairy products were included in the diet, and having a furry pet were neutral in their effect.
Gerber doesn't produce any fish preparations, so Alm suggested that fish be slowly introduced together with other solids, preferably in puree form at about 5 months to 6 months of age.
McMahan sees many ethnic parents, such as the Vietnamese, give fish early in a mush or stew to their children.
Given that both U.S. and European recommendations on the subject have recently been revised, added McMahan, "this gives researchers a really good opportunity to start following this and see if makes a difference or not."
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more on eczema in children.
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