THREE-YEAR OUTCOMES OF DIETARY FATTY ACID MODIFICATION AND HOUSE DUST MITE REDUCTION IN THE CHILDHOOD ASTHMA PREVENTION STUDY
tween exclusive breastfeeding and physician-diagnosed AD in infants with a family history of AD (odds ratio [OR]: 0.92), in those without a family history of AD (OR: 0.97), or in those with itchy rash (OR: 1.2 and 0.92, respectively). In group I, exclusive breastfeeding was protective for AD, compared with feeding with a conventional cow’s milk formula (OR: 0.64). If stratified by family history of AD, there was no difference in effect of breastfeeding on physician-diagnosed AD and itchy rash in group I. The difference in the NI group was not determined because of the small number of participants. Conclusions. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 4 months of infancy was not shown to increase the risk of developing AD in infants with or without a family history of AD. Reviewers’ Comments. A number of studies have shown that breastfeeding could be a risk factor for atopic dermatitis and even suggest a detrimental effect of continuing to breastfeed infants with severe AD and food allergy. The role of breastfeeding in allergic diseases has been controversial, but the weight of the evidence in meta-analyses and in this study support a protective effect in regard to prevention.