BACKGROUND: Several cross-sectional studies indicate that an anthroposophic lifestyle reduces the risk of allergy in children. We initiated the Assessment of Lifestyle and Allergic Disease During Infancy (ALADDIN) birth cohort to elucidate the role of specific factors supposed to mediate this effect. The aims of this study are to describe the ALADDIN cohort and to report patterns of exposure and allergic sensitization during the first years of life. METHODS: The ALADDIN study is a prospective birth cohort study of 330 children from families with an anthroposophic, partly anthroposophic, or nonanthroposophic lifestyle. The children and their parents were following an extensive data collection scheme, including repeated questionnaires and biological samples. Blood samples were collected from the parents and from the child at birth as well as at 6, 12, and 24 months of age. RESULTS: Several lifestyle factors differed between the groups, such as diet, medication, and place of delivery. Children of families with an anthroposophic lifestyle had a markedly decreased risk of sensitization during the first 2 years of life compared with children of nonanthroposophic families with adjusted OR 0.25 (95% CI 0.10-0.64) and P-value 0.004. A similar situation held true for children from families with a partly anthroposophic lifestyle, adjusted OR 0.31 (95% CI 0.15-0.54), and P-value 0.002. CONCLUSIONS: The anthroposophic lifestyle comprises several factors of interest for allergy development and is here shown to be associated with reduced risk of IgE sensitization already in infancy. Identifying the factors responsible for this association would be of significant clinical importance.
BACKGROUND: Several cross-sectional studies indicate that an anthroposophic lifestyle reduces the risk of allergy in children. We initiated the Assessment of Lifestyle and Allergic Disease During Infancy (ALADDIN) birth cohort to elucidate the role of specific factors supposed to mediate this effect. The aims of this study are to describe the ALADDIN cohort and to report patterns of exposure and allergic sensitization during the first years of life. METHODS: The ALADDIN study is a prospective birth cohort study of 330 children from families with an anthroposophic, partly anthroposophic, or nonanthroposophic lifestyle. The children and their parents were following an extensive data collection scheme, including repeated questionnaires and biological samples. Blood samples were collected from the parents and from the child at birth as well as at 6, 12, and 24 months of age. RESULTS: Several lifestyle factors differed between the groups, such as diet, medication, and place of delivery. Children of families with an anthroposophic lifestyle had a markedly decreased risk of sensitization during the first 2 years of life compared with children of nonanthroposophic families with adjusted OR 0.25 (95% CI 0.10-0.64) and P-value 0.004. A similar situation held true for children from families with a partly anthroposophic lifestyle, adjusted OR 0.31 (95% CI 0.15-0.54), and P-value 0.002. CONCLUSIONS: The anthroposophic lifestyle comprises several factors of interest for allergy development and is here shown to be associated with reduced risk of IgE sensitization already in infancy. Identifying the factors responsible for this association would be of significant clinical importance.
Authors: T Holm; D Rutishauser; Y Kai-Larsen; Y Lyutvinskiy; F Stenius; R A Zubarev; B Agerberth; J Alm; A Scheynius Journal: Allergy Date: 2013-11-11 Impact factor: 13.146
Authors: Heidrun Hochwallner; Johan Alm; Christian Lupinek; Catharina Johansson; Axel Mie; Annika Scheynius; Rudolf Valenta Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2014-11-05 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Hani Harb; Bilal Alashkar Alhamwe; Daniel P Potaczek; Annika Scheynius; Nathalie Acevedo; Paolo Frumento; Catharina Johansson; Lisa Eick; Nikos Papadogiannakis; Johan Alm; Harald Renz Journal: Biomed Res Int Date: 2019-04-17 Impact factor: 3.411
Authors: H Felix Fischer; Sylvia Binting; Angelina Bockelbrink; Peter Heusser; Christoph Hueck; Thomas Keil; Stephanie Roll; Claudia Witt Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-09-12 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Antonio Checa; Tina Holm; Marcus O D Sjödin; Stacey N Reinke; Johan Alm; Annika Scheynius; Craig E Wheelock Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2015-11-02 Impact factor: 4.379
Authors: Axel Mie; Helle Raun Andersen; Stefan Gunnarsson; Johannes Kahl; Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot; Ewa Rembiałkowska; Gianluca Quaglio; Philippe Grandjean Journal: Environ Health Date: 2017-10-27 Impact factor: 5.984
Authors: Christian Lupinek; Heidrun Hochwallner; Catharina Johansson; Axel Mie; Eva Rigler; Annika Scheynius; Johan Alm; Rudolf Valenta Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2019-01-25 Impact factor: 10.793