Abstract
Asthma occurs as a result of complex interactions of environmental and genetic factors. Clinical studies and animal models of asthma indicate offspring of allergic mothers have increased risk of development of allergies. Environmental factors including stress-induced corticosterone and vitamin E isoforms during pregnancy regulate the risk for offspring development of allergy. In this review, we discuss mechanisms for the development of allergic disease early in life, environmental factors that may impact the development of risk for allergic disease early in life, and how the variation in global prevalence of asthma may be explained, at least in part, by some environmental components.
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Dr. Cook-Mills has a patent pre-application, Compositions and Methods for the Treatment of Natal and Prenatal Conditions with Alpha-Tocopherol Pending.
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This article does not contain any studies with human subjects performed by any of the authors.
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This study was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant R01 AT004837 (J.M.C-M).
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Cook-Mills, J.M. Maternal Influences over Offspring Allergic Responses. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 15, 1 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-014-0501-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-014-0501-1