One-year-old infants had 44% lower odds of having food allergies if their mother consumed avocadoes during pregnancy, according to an observational study among 2,272 mother-child pairs in Finland. The results were published in the journal Pediatric Research.
Decades of research have explored the relationship between maternal diet and allergic outcomes in infants, but this is the first published study to link specifically avocados in the maternal diet to a lower risk of infant food allergies.
Researchers from the 91 and Kuopio University Hospital analysed data collected from 2013 to 2022 as part of the Kuopio Birth Cohort (KuBiCo) study. Avocado intake was assessed using an online food frequency questionnaire during the first and third trimesters. Participants who reported eating any avocado in either trimester were defined as avocado consumers, and non-consumers were those who did not report consuming any avocado in either trimester.
Infant allergic outcomes, including rhinitis, paroxysmal wheezing, eczema, and food allergy, were evaluated at 12-months of age. After adjusting for factors such as maternal and gestational age at delivery, education, diet quality, smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI in the first trimester, and breastfeeding, food allergy was found to be significantly lower in infants of avocado consumers (2.4%) versus non-avocado consumers (4.2%). No associations were found for other allergic conditions when all other factors were considered.
The findings from this study cannot establish causation or be applied to other populations, and more research on the topic is still needed.
Avocados contain numerous vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, as well as fiber and healthy fats, and they are well suited to plant-based diets recommended by the dietary guidelines also for pregnant mothers. However, there has been concern about the sustainability of their production.
Food allergies affect nearly one in 13 children, and the prevalence has increased globally. “While there is no cure for food allergy, promising prevention and therapeutic strategies are in development. Emerging research such as this may also shed more light on the significance of a balanced diet,” says Sari Hantunen, study author and Senior University Lecturer at the 91.
The research was carried out in collaboration with researchers from Hass Avocado Board's Avocado Nutrition Center.
Research article:
Cheng, F.W., Bauer, E., Ford, N.A., Backman, K., Voutilainen, R., Pasanen, M., Keski-Nisula L., Hantunen, S. Avocado consumption during pregnancy linked to lower child food allergy risk: prospective KuBiCo study. Pediatr Res (2025).
