ATOPY IN CHILDREN OF FAMILIES WITH AN ANTHROPOSOPHIC LIFESTYLE

Purpose of the Study. Nonhereditary factors such as early childhood infections, vaccination programs, or immune responses to the intestinal microflora may influence the prevalence of atopy in childhood. This study investigated the influence of an anthroposophic lifestyle on the prevalence of childhood atopy. Study Population. Two hundred ninety-five children aged 5-13 years at 2 anthroposophic (Steiner) schools near Stockholm, Sweden, were compared with 380 children of the same age at 2 nearby conventional schools. Anthroposophical lifestyle includes the restricted use of antibiotics and vaccinations, and the increased consumption of fermented vegetables that promote the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum. Methods. The investigators used a cross-sectional study to compare children from 2 Steiner schools to children from 2 control schools in the same area. Those who agreed to particulate were mailed a questionnaire on atopic symptoms, and on social environmental variables. Information on the history of infectious disease and vaccinations was based on Child Welfare Center data, which were available for all children. Skin-prick tests were done for 13 common allergens. Blood samples from children and their parents were analyzed for allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E antibodies to 11 common inhalant allergens, 6 food allergens, and 5 rodent allergens. Results. Skin-prick tests and blood tests showed that the children from Steiner schools had a lower prevalence of atopy than controls (odds ratio: .62 [95% confidence interval 0.43-0.91]). There was an inverse relation between the number of characteristic features of an anthroposophic lifestyle and risk of atopy (P for trend = .01). Fewer children at the Steiner school had antibiotics and vaccinations. Only 52% of the children at the Steiner schools ever received antibiotics compared with 90% in the control group. Immunization against measles, mumps, and rubella had been given to only 18% of the children at the Steiner schools, compared with 83% at the control schools. As a result, 71% of the children at the most typical Steiner school got measles during an epidemic in 1995. In terms of other differences, fermented vegetables were consumed by 63% of the children at the Steiner schools, compared with only 4.5% in the control schools. A similar pattern was found for the consumption of organic or biodynamic food during childhood. There were no clear differences in other risk factors for atopy between the 2 group