It is uncertain whether B group
vitamins are risk or preventive factors for allergic disorders. We prospectively investigated the association between maternal intake of
folate and
vitamins B(12) , B(6) , and
B(2) during pregnancy and the risk of wheeze and
eczema in the infants aged 16-24 months. Subjects were 763 Japanese mother-child pairs. Data on maternal intake during pregnancy were assessed with a diet history questionnaire (DHQ). Symptoms of wheeze and
eczema were based on criteria of the International Study of
Asthma and
Allergies in Childhood. Among 763 infants, 169 (22.1%) and 142 (18.6%) had symptoms of wheeze and
eczema, respectively. There were no evident relationships between maternal consumption of
folate,
vitamin B(12) ,
vitamin B(6) , and
vitamin B(2) during pregnancy and the risk of wheeze or
eczema in the offspring after adjustment for maternal age, gestation at baseline, residential municipality at baseline, family income, maternal and paternal education, maternal and paternal history of
asthma,
atopic eczema, and
allergic rhinitis, changes in maternal diet in the previous 1 month, season when data at baseline were collected, maternal smoking during pregnancy, baby's older siblings, baby's sex, baby's
birth weight, household smoking in the same room as the infant, breastfeeding duration, age at which solid foods were introduced, age of infant at the third survey, and maternal intake of
docosahexaenoic acid, n-6
polyunsaturated fatty acids,
vitamin D,
calcium,
vitamin E, and β-
carotene during pregnancy. Further investigation is warranted to draw conclusions as to the question of whether maternal
B vitamin intake during pregnancy is related to the risk of childhood allergic disorders.