Evaluation of Fermented Food Consumption During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding in Mothers of Children with Egg Allergy

Objective: Fermented foods, such as yogurt and kefir, provide health benefits.This study explores how fermented food consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding may affect the development of egg allergy in children. Materials and Methods:The study included mothers of 50 children diagnosed with egg allergy and a control group of mothers of 52 healthy children of the same age group.Retrospective analysis was performed on data such as the mothers' consumption of fermented foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding, sociodemographic characteristics, and family history of allergies. Results:It was observed that the case and control groups were similar in terms of age, gender, gestational age, maternal weight gain during pregnancy, and mode of delivery (p>0.05).However, the mean age of mothers in the case group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p=0.008).There was a significant difference in maternal education level between the groups (p=0.044).No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of fermented food consumption, including yogurt, cheese, kefir, tarhana, pickles, and fermented sausage (sucuk), during pregnancy and breastfeeding (p>0.05). Conclusion:The findings indicate that the fermented food consumption habits of mothers of children with egg allergy during pregnancy and breastfeeding were not different from those of mothers in the control group.These results suggest no relationship between fermented food consumption and the development of egg allergy in children.However, further extensive studies are needed on this subject.