Maternal and infant serum carotenoids are associated with infantile atopic dermatitis development

Background: Maternal carotenoid intake during pregnancy may be associated with decreased infantile atopic dermatitis (AD) odds. This study aimed to elucidate the association between maternal and infant carotenoid levels and AD development. Methods: This prospective study included 267 newborns with a family history of allergies as part of the Chiba High-risk Birth Cohort for Allergy study. Serum was collected from the cord blood of mothers at 36 weeks of gestation and 1-year-old infants, together with post-childbirth colostrum and breast milk samples at 1 and 6 months after birth. These were used to determine total and specific carotenoids, α-tocopherol, and retinol levels, and the results were compared between AD-positive and -negative infants. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted, and variables were selected for the multivariate analysis using variable importance in projection scores calculated by partial least squares regression. Results: Specific carotenoid levels in the serum and breast milk, and total carotenoids in the maternal blood, were associated with lower odds of AD development at 1 year of age. Seven predictive variables among the carotenoid data were selected for the multivariate analysis. Presence of eczema at 6 months (odds ratio [OR], 34.5; P < 0.0001), maternal blood lutein level (unit OR, 0.002; P = 0.002), and blood lycopene level in infants at 1 year (unit OR, 0.01; P = 0.007) were significantly related to AD at 1 year of age. Conclusions: Carotenoid intake is associated with decreased risk of developing infantile AD. The potential benefits of carotenoid supplementation during pregnancy warrant investigation.