C-sections not linked to the development of food allergies

A study has found that cesarean births are not associated with an increased risk of food allergies in childhood.

A study has shown that there is no link between a c-section and the development of food allergies in infants. C-sections are not always the first choice for many moms out there, but there are situations where a mom has no choice, and however the baby is brought here and mom and baby are protected, it will always be the right choice. However, it is major surgery and is often seen as not the “natural” way to give birth, and this means many may wonder what impact this (if any) could have on a baby’s development as they grow.

According to MedicalXpress, a study has found that caesarean births are not associated with an increased risk of food allergy in childhood. This research was done by Murdoch Children’s Research Instituteand it can be read in full here.

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The study looked at every type of c-section and every cause. They found that none of them were associated with an increased risk of developing food allergies by the time the child was one year old. This can be reassuring for parents everywhere who have had c-sections, or who may encounter one.

Rachel Peters said this link had previously been obscured because not many studies have been done on the subject. To complete the study, researchers looked at more than 2,000 babies, and 30% of those babies were born via c-sections.

Then when they looked at those who developed food allergies:

• They found that 12.7% of babies born by c-section had food allergies by age 1.
• 13.2% of babies born via vaginal birth developed food allergies.

This tells the researchers that there is no link between the shape of birth and the development of food allergies.

Some may wonder why anyone would think the two were linked, and researchers had an answer for that. They stated that the mode of delivery could interfere with the development of the baby’s immune system, which continues to develop after a baby is born.

Babies born by cesarean section don’t get as much exposure to bacteria from the mother’s birth canal, and they believed that this causes changes in the baby’s gut microbiome and could potentially lead to the development of food allergies as they age. However, this study shows that this is not happening, and there is no link for parents to be concerned about.

Sources: Medical Xpress, JACI

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