A study on the effect of nutrient intake on the body mass index of mothers of children with food allergies

Abstract

Background: No previous studies have reported the effect of the presence of children with food allergies (FAs) on the diet and body mass index (BMI) of mothers. Therefore, we conducted a dietary survey and considered nutrients that influenced BMI of mothers. Objective: Subjects included 554 mothers—305 mothers of children with FAs (FA mothers; aged 38.4 ± 5.1 years, FA group) and 249 mothers of children without FAs (non-FA mothers; aged 37.7 ± 5.5 years, NFA group). Methods: We extracted dietary patterns from dietary survey results and investigated the correlation between nutrient intake and BMI. We divided the FA group into two groups (one containing 181 mothers whose children were allergic to ≤ 1 of the three major allergenic foods—eggs, milk and wheat—and another containing 124 mothers whose children were allergic to ≥ 2 of these foods) and conducted a comparative analysis. Results: BMI was significantly lower in the FA group than in the NFA group (20.7 vs. 21.4 kg/m2). There was a significant negative correlation between BMI and vegetable protein intake (β = −0.196, SE = 0.05). Vegetable protein intake was higher in the group that was allergic to ≥ 2 of the allergenic foods. Conclusion: BMI of FA mothers is affected by a diet that strictly follows their FA child’s allergen-free state—a diet dominated by vegetable protein. These observations suggested that the degree to which an FA mother is affected depends on the number of the three major allergenic foods to which her FA child is allergic.