TABLE IV.
Association between raw milk consumption and adult atopy in the ALHS
| Raw milk exposure* | Atopic n (%)† |
Nonatopic n (%) |
OR (95% CI)‡ |
P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 578 | 2526 | ||
| Ever drank raw milk | ||||
| No | 132 (22.8) | 498 (19.7) | Ref | |
| Yes | 402 (69.6) | 1895 (75.0) | 0.85 (0.67–1.09) | .21 |
| Missing | 44 (7.6) | 133 (5.3) | ||
| Raw milk before or after age 6 | ||||
| Never | 132 (22.8) | 498 (19.7) | Ref | |
| Start after age 6 | 78 (13.5) | 264 (10.5) | 1.10 (0.79–1.53) | .57 |
| Start before age 6 | 320 (55.4) | 1613 (63.9) | 0.79 (0.61–1.02) | .07 |
| Missing | 48 (8.3) | 151 (6.0) | ||
| Was main milk raw milk | ||||
| No | 248 (42.9) | 888 (35.2) | Ref | |
| Yes | 302 (52.2) | 1544 (61.1) | 0.73 (0.58–0.90) | .004 |
| Missing | 28 (4.8) | 94 (3.7) | ||
| Ever raw milk, main milk | ||||
| Never raw milk | 129 (22.3) | 478 (18.9) | Ref | |
| Ever raw milk, main milk not raw |
90 (15.6) | 325 (12.9) | 1.03 (0.76–1.41) | .84 |
| Ever raw milk, main milk raw |
298 (51.6) | 1530 (60.6) | 0.75 (0.58–0.98) | .04 |
| Missing | 61 (10.6) | 193 (7.6) | ||
*
Twenty-two participants (7 atopic and 15 nonatopic) who reported not drinking any type of milk in childhood were included in the referent categories of these analyses (eg, never drank raw milk and main milk not raw). Excluding these individuals did not materially change estimates.
†
Any atopy defined as 1 or more allergen-specific IgEs > 0.70 IU/mL.
‡
Logistic regression used to estimate ORs adjusted for age, sex, race, state, asthma case-control status, and pack years.