The mother's diet during pregnancy may influence the risk of the baby developing food allergies, a study says. Polyunsaturated fatty acids change the way it develops the gut of the fetus.

In particular, the risk is reduced if the mother consumes oily fish and hard shelled nuts.
As scientists say the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) in France, the polyunsaturated fatty acid containing fish such as salmon, herring, tuna and nuts such as walnuts, prepare the gut to develop ways to improve the immune system.
These compounds, says the study published in the Journal of Physiology (Journal of Physiology), increase the immune response to bacteria and other foreign substances with less chance that the baby will suffer allergies.
The scientists found that mothers who consumed a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy had babies which were more permeable intestinal wall.
A more permeable gut, scientists say, Capsiplex allows bacteria and foreign substances to pass into the bloodstream, causing an immune response to produce antibodies in the baby.
Bowel changes
"Our study identifies a certain group of polyunsaturated fatty acids known as n-3PUFA, which causes changes in the way it develops the gut of the fetus"
Dr. Gaëlle Boudry
"Our study identifies a certain group of polyunsaturated fatty acids known as n-3PUFA, which causes changes in the way it develops the gut of the fetus" says Dr. Gaëlle Boudry, who led the study.
"It is likely that these changes reduce the risk of developing allergies later in life."
"The result is that the baby's immune system develops and matures faster, resulting in improved immune function and less likely to develop allergies," adds the researcher.
The finding supports other research that has shown that consumption of n-3PUFA during pregnancy increases the duration of gestation and maturation of the baby's central nervous system.
This seems to result in an improvement in mental abilities in childhood.
However, as the researchers say, despite the evidence, polyunsaturated fatty acids are increasingly present in the diet of the Western world and are gradually being replaced by other vegetable oils that are known, are not as beneficial .
In many countries, particularly developed countries, food allergies have increased in the last decade.
And although it is unclear what the cause, experts are increasingly focusing attention on the role of exposure to food, both in the first years of life or the fetus.