A recent study published in the journal Thorax has found that children born to mothers who had eating disorders before pregnancy face an increased risk of developing asthma and wheezing. The research analyzed data from 131,495 mother-child pairs across seven European birth cohorts that are part of the EU Child Cohort Network (EUCCN).
The study looked at the prevalence of maternal eating disorders, which ranged from nearly 1% to 17% among the different cohorts. It also examined co-existing depression or anxiety among women with eating disorders, which varied from 11% to 75%. For the children, preschool wheezing was reported in 21% to nearly 50% of cases, while school age asthma rates ranged from just over 2% to almost 17.5%.
Researchers observed that an eating disorder before pregnancy was linked to a general increase of 25% in risk for preschool wheeze and a consistent 26% higher risk for school age asthma in children. These associations were somewhat weaker when mothers with depression or anxiety were excluded from the analysis.
Further findings showed similar links between childhood asthma and both anorexia and bulimia. Preschool wheezing was associated specifically with bulimia. The timing of exposure—whether before, during, or after pregnancy—did not reveal a particular period where risks were higher.
The authors noted that their study is observational and does not establish cause and effect. They stated: "Although this may make some of the findings less comparable, the direction and the magnitude of the associations were relatively stable in all the analyses." They added: "The mechanisms underlying the associations between maternal mental health and childhood respiratory outcomes remain unclear."
Possible explanations suggested by researchers include stress-related disruptions during pregnancy that could affect fetal lung development and immune system maturation, making children more susceptible to conditions like asthma. Other factors such as fetal growth restriction, prematurity, Caesarean delivery, and low birth weight—which are more common among children born to mothers with eating disorders—may also play a role in increasing respiratory risks.
Additionally, they pointed out: "In addition, research has shown that both mental health disorders and asthma involve dysregulation in immune response and inflammatory pathways, suggesting a common genetic basis that may contribute to both conditions."
The researchers concluded: "There is a need to include maternal [eating disorders] in research on early- life respiratory risk factors and to integrate [eating disorder] screening and support into maternal healthcare to improve respiratory outcomes in offspring."
