On the other hand, eating a lot of fish late in pregnancy seemed to offer some protection against eczema in offspring.

The study also found that children born to moms who ate a lot of celery and citrus fruit were at increased risk for sensitization to food allergens. Sensitization to inhaled allergens was also associated with high maternal intakes of deep-frying vegetable fat, raw sweet pepper and citrus fruit.

Despite these apparent associations, the researchers say "before any recommendations can be made, randomized clinical intervention trials should be performed to confirm the cause-effect relation observed in the present study."