INDIANAPOLIS — A new animal model study by researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine suggests that alpha-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E, may help prevent food allergies. The findings, recently published in the Journal of Immunology, indicate that increasing the intake of this vitamin during and after pregnancy could be an effective strategy for reducing serious food allergies and severe allergic reactions in infants and children.
Led by Joan Cook-Mills, PhD, a professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine, the research team used mouse models to investigate the vitamin's effects on allergy development. In the study, a food allergy developed in newborns exposed to common food and skin allergens, but the findings revealed that when mothers had higher levels of alpha-tocopherol in their diets, their offspring experienced reduced allergy development, suggesting the vitamin offers protective benefits during pregnancy and nursing.
"Since food allergies most often develop early in life, prevention at this stage is crucial," Cook-Mills said. "Our findings suggest that increasing alpha-tocopherol consumption — through prenatal vitamins during pregnancy, infant formula adjustments or other dietary supplements — could help reduce the risk of children developing food allergies."
Previous research from the Cook-Mills lab at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research reported that another vitamin, gamma-tocopherol, counteracts the benefits of alpha-tocopherol. Gamma-tocopherol is prevalent in cooking oils commonly used in the United States, such as soybean, canola and corn oils. Vitamin supplements also vary in amounts of alpha-tocopherol or gamma-tocopherol.
"Currently, alpha-tocopherol supplementation may have a greater benefit for allergies in European countries, where they use more sunflower, safflower and olive oils," Cook-Mills said. "For those in the United States, the benefits of alpha-tocopherol could potentially be enhanced by changing the type of cooking oils used."
Cook-Mills also said U.S. cooking oil manufacturers can help by adjusting their production process to reduce gamma-tocopherol and increase alpha-tocopherol levels. Her research team aims to collaborate with these commercial companies to achieve a healthier balance of these vitamin levels in their food products.
Moving forward, the team also plans to explore how alpha- and gamma-tocopherol influence other allergy-related processes and their impact on premature infants.
Additional IU study authors include Allison E. Kosins, Haoran Gao, Ross L. Blankenship, Lauren N. Emmerson and Joel A. Ochoa.
This research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health.
About the Indiana University School of Medicine
The IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the IU School of Medicine ranks No. 13 in 2023 National Institutes of Health funding among all public medical schools in the country.
Writer: Jackie Maupin, jacmaup@iu.edu
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