Children born to women who ate a diverse, healthy diet while pregnant had a lower risk for eczema and food allergy than those born to women whose overall diet was poor, according to an analysis of data from the Healthy Start Study.

For kids born to mothers with a history of allergy, 33% had a diagnosis of eczema and/or food allergy by age 2 years when their mothers ate a poor, less-diverse diet compared with 21% for those whose mothers ate a diverse and healthy diet (odds ratio 1.91, 95% CI 1.17-3.11, P=0.01), reported researchers at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) annual meeting.