Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 26;19(19):12187.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912187.

Micronutrients and the Risk of Allergic Diseases in School Children

Daniela Podlecka  1 , Joanna Jerzyńska  1 , Khadijah Sanad  2 , Kinga Polańska  1   3 , Monika Bobrowska-Korzeniowska  1 , Iwona Stelmach  4 , Agnieszka Brzozowska  1
Affiliations

Micronutrients and the Risk of Allergic Diseases in School Children

Daniela Podlecka et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Microelements and vitamins are believed to have immunomodulatory effects. The aim of the study was to establish the role of antioxidants (vitamins A, E, D) and microelements such as copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) levels in allergic diseases in schoolchildren. The study uses a cohort of 80 children (40 with and 40 without allergy/asthma diagnosis) aged 9 to 12 years recruited for the Polish Mother and Child Cohort Study. At nine to twelve years old, the children were tested for microelement and vitamin content and health status (including skin-prick test and spirometry, urine cotinine level). Demographic data were collected from mothers by an allergist. The risk of asthma occurrence was found to be significantly related to the levels of Cu and Zn. The level of Cu was also particularly closely associated with allergic rhinitis and was indicated as a significant predictor of food allergy. The levels of Cu and Zn, and poor nutritional status in general, can influence the immune system and may be considered risk factors for developing asthma, allergic rhinitis and food allergy.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01861548.

Keywords: allergy; asthma; children; copper; selenium; vitamins; zinc.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Martini L., Pecoraro L., Salvottini C., Piacentini G., Atkinson R., Pietrobelli A. Appropriate and inappropriate vitamin sup-plementation in children. J. Nutr. Sci. 2020;9:e20. doi: 10.1017/jns.2020.12. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pecora F., Persico F., Argentiero A., Neglia C., Esposito S. The Role of Micronutrients in Support of the Immune Response against Viral Infections. Nutrients. 2020;12:3198. doi: 10.3390/nu12103198. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wu H., Zhang C., Wang Y., Li Y. Does vitamin E prevent asthma or wheeze in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Paediatr. Respir. Rev. 2018;27:60–68. doi: 10.1016/j.prrv.2017.08.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kim M.J., Kim S.N., Lee Y.W., Choe Y.B., Ahn K.J. Vitamin D Status and Efficacy of Vitamin D Supplementation in Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2016;8:789. doi: 10.3390/nu8120789. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stelmach I., Majak P., Jerzynska J., Podlecka D., Stelmach W., Polańska K., Gromadzińska J., Wąsowicz W., Hanke W. Cord serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D correlates with early childhood viral-induced wheezing. Respir. Med. 2015;109:38–43. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2014.10.016. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data