Asthma linked to sugar eaten during pregnancy

WOMEN who eat too much sugar during pregnancy are doubling the chance of their child going on to develop asthma, researchers have suggested.

A study of almost 9,000 mother and child pairs starting in the 1990s found a link between free sugars, such as those found in fizzy drinks and processed food, and the inflammatory disease.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London compared the 20 per cent of mothers who consumed the most sugar, equivalent to more than five teaspoons a day, or two cans of ordinary cola, to the 20 per cent who had the least.

They found that the children of those in the top category had roughly a one in five chance of developing asthma, while those in the lowest category had a one in 10 chance.

Scientists have long tried to explain the increase in the prevalence of asthma over the last half century.

Changes in diet, and in particular a heavier reliance on sugar, has been suspected as a leading cause, but until now there has been sparse research into the role of sugar during pregnancy.

It is thought the sugar link with asthma may be explained by high intakes of fructose, triggering an immune response leading to inflammation in developing lungs.

Professor Seif Shaheen, lead researcher, said: “We cannot say on the basis of these observations that a high intake of sugar by mothers in pregnancy is definitely causing allergy and allergic asthma in their offspring.

“However, given the extremely high consumption of sugar in the West, we will certainly be investigating this hypothesis further with some urgency.”

He urged pregnant women to follow current guidelines and avoid excessive sugar consumption.