Vegetable dietary pattern may protect mild and persistent allergic rhinitis phenotype depending on genetic risk in schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND 1The effect of diet on allergic rhinitis (AR), its severity in children, and whether it modifies AR depending on genetic susceptibility are unknown. We investigated the association between dietary patterns and AR in schoolchildren and the influence of diet on AR according to a genetic risk score (GRS). METHODS Totally, 435 7-year-old schoolchildren were recruited from the Panel Study on Korean Children. We used dietary patterns (vegetable, sugar, and meat) and dietary inflammatory index (DII) as dietary parameters. AR and its severity were defined by questionnaires about treatment in the previous 12 months and the ARIA guideline, respectively. A GRS was calculated using 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms for allergic diseases. RESULTS A vegetable diet containing a lot of anti-inflammatory nutrients and higher vitamin D level in blood was negatively correlated while DII was positively correlated with triglyceride level and triglyceride/HDL-cholesterol. Vegetable diet (aOR, 95% CI = 0.73, 0.58-0.94) and DII (1.13, 1.01-1.28) were associated with AR risk. In particular a high vegetable diet resulted in a lower risk of mild and persistent AR (aOR, 95% CI = 0.24, 0.10-0.56) while a high DII represented a higher risk (2.33, 1.06-5.10). The protective effect of vegetable diet on AR appeared only among children with a lower GRS (adjusted p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS A vegetable dietary pattern characterized by high intake of anti-inflammatory nutrients and higher vitamin D level in blood might be associated with a lower risk of mild and persistent AR. This beneficial effect is modified by a genetic factor.