In a groundbreaking research, the scientists revealed that pregnant women who consume low-fat yoghurt are at higher chances of having a child with asthma and hay fever.

The study conducted on almost 70,000 women in Netherlands says the odds of having a child suffering from asthma almost doubled among women who ate yoghurt daily. Surprisingly, the same study found that drinking milk during pregnancy has a protective effect.

The research was presented at European Respiratory Society Conference. The purpose of study was to find out whether fatty acids present in dairy products could contribute to prevent childhood allergies.

Ekaterina Maslova, lead study author from the Harvard School of Public Health, said that it’s a puzzling discovery. The absence of fatty acids in low-fat yoghurt triggers two possibilities. One, the fatty acids might be playing an important role in strengthening the body against allergies, and another possibility is that the non-fat substances in yoghurt increase the risk of allergy.

Dr. Maslova further stated that her team will continue with investigations to know whether the results are linked with certain nutrients or the women who consumed yoghurt regularly had similar lifestyle and dietary patterns.

Leanne Metcalf, Director of Research at Asthma UK, said there are a number of evidences indicating that the pre-natal environment greatly influences the health of newborn. She advised pregnant women to eat healthy and balanced diet and discuss any drastic changes to their eating habits with the general practitioner.