Clinical Report: Prenatal diet tied to colic with eczema

Overview

In a prospective cohort of 1,324 mother-infant pairs, poorer maternal diet quality during pregnancy was associated with higher odds of infants having both colic and eczema, but not either condition alone. Higher Mediterranean Diet Scores and greater seafood intake were associated with lower odds of the combined outcome, while higher Dietary Inflammatory Index scores were associated with higher odds. The observational design and small number of infants with both conditions preclude causal conclusions.

Background

Infant colic and eczema are common conditions, and this study examined whether maternal diet during pregnancy was associated with their co-occurrence. Project Viva recruited participants in Massachusetts during early pregnancy between 1999 and 2002, without selection for atopic risk. Maternal diet was assessed in early and midpregnancy, and infant outcomes were assessed at a median age of 6.3 months. The investigators noted that existing evidence does not support prenatal dietary restrictions to prevent infant allergy.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Maternal diet quality was associated with the combined outcome of infant colic and eczema, but not with either condition considered alone.
• Each 1-point increase in mean Mediterranean Diet Score was associated with 15% lower adjusted odds of the combined outcome; each 1-point increase in Dietary Inflammatory Index was associated with 34% higher adjusted odds.
• The combined outcome was reported in 7% of infants in the lowest Mediterranean Diet Score quartile and 4% in the highest; corresponding proportions for the highest and lowest Dietary Inflammatory Index quartiles were 7% and 3%.
• Each additional weekly serving of seafood was associated with 25% lower odds of the combined outcome. Dairy and egg consumption had no statistically significant associations with the assessed outcomes.
• Among infants with eczema, each 1-point increase in Dietary Inflammatory Index was associated with 47% higher odds of colic; no clear association was observed among infants without eczema. The authors described subgroup findings as suggestive, and the higher Mediterranean Diet Score association among infants with eczema was not statistically significant.
• Outcomes relied on maternal reports, only 61 infants had both conditions, and the observational study cannot establish causality. The authors hypothesized that the combined outcome may reflect a specific immune endotype of colic.

Clinical Implications

The study does not establish that changing maternal diet during pregnancy prevents infant colic or eczema, and the investigators noted that existing evidence does not support prenatal dietary restrictions to prevent infant allergy. Its findings are associations from an observational cohort with a small combined-outcome group and should be interpreted in light of the reported limitations.

Conclusion

In this cohort, maternal dietary quality and seafood intake were associated with the co-occurrence of infant colic and eczema, but not with either condition alone. Further research is needed to clarify these associations and the proposed underlying mechanisms.

Related Resources & Content

1. Oken E, et al., JAMA Network Open, year not provided — Prenatal diet tied to colic with eczema
2. American Academy of Pediatrics, PubMed, 2025 — Guidelines for Early Food Introduction and Patterns of Food Allergy
3. Rome V authors, PubMed, 2026 — Lower and Biliary Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction: Child and Adolescent
4. MDSpire News — Pregnancy Diet Influences Child Development Outcomes
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8. Guidelines for Early Food Introduction and Patterns of Food Allergy
9. Lower and Biliary Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction: Child and Adolescent
10. Guidelines for Early Food Introduction and Patterns of Food Allergy - PubMed
11. Lower and Biliary Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction: Child and Adolescent - PubMed