Association between maternal yogurt consumption during late pregnancy and risk of infantile diarrhoea: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Yogurt is commonly recommended during pregnancy, but its association with infantile diarrhoea remains unclear. This prospective study was embedded in the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort. Yogurt intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and categorised based on frequency, amount and their combination. Infantile diarrhoea was diagnosed by doctors. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the adjusted relative risks (aRRs). Among 2161 mother-infant pairs, 72.9% mothers consumed yogurt, and 24.2% infants experienced diarrhoea. Each 100 g/week increase or each 1 time/week increase in yogurt intake were associated with reduced risks of infantile diarrhoea, with aRRs (95% CI) of 0.98 (0.96, 0.99) and 0.96 (0.94, 0.99), respectively. Compared with non-consumers, regular high consumers (≥3 times/week and ≥600 g/week had a significantly lower risk of infantile diarrhoea (aRR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.96). Regular high yogurt intake during late pregnancy may help protect infants from diarrhoea.