Association of food allergy in children with vitamin D insufficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Eur J Pediatr 182, 1533–1554 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-023-04843-2 PDF is behind a paywall
Evdokia Psaroulaki, Georgios N. Katsaras, Petrina Samartzi, Vasiliki Chatziravdeli, Danai Psaroulaki, Evangelos Oikonomou & Pelagia Tsitsani
Current literature regarding the association of vitamin D insufficiency and food allergy is contradicting. The purpose of our study was to investigate this association. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the PRISMA statement. PubMeD and Scopus databases were systematically searched for case–control studies investigating the association between pediatric food allergy and vitamin D insufficiency. Our search yielded 806 studies. Ten final studies were considered eligible for qualitative and quantitative analysis.
- Children with vitamin D insufficiency were found to have 68% more probability to present a food allergy episode (adjusted pooled OR: 1.68, 95% CI [1.25–2.27], p-value: 0.001).
In their second year of life they were
- 4 times more likely to present a food allergy episode (adjusted pooled OR: 4.06, 95% CI [1.93–8.56], p-value: < 0.001), and
- 56% more probable to develop food sensitization (OR: 1.56, 95% CI [1.15–2.11], p-value: < 0.004).
Children in Australia with vitamin D insufficiency were almost 4 times more likely to develop egg sensitization (adjusted OR: 3.79, 95% CI [1.19–12.08], p-value: 0.024). Children with vitamin D insufficiency were almost twice as likely to have peanut sensitization (OR: 1.96, 95% CI [1.08–3.57], p-value: 0.028).
Conclusion: Decreased maternal vitamin D levels and infant vitamin D insufficiency appear to increase the incidence of food allergies, particularly in the second year of life. To confirm this association, multicenter longitudinal studies are required.