(Image credit www.about.com) 
A University of Carolina study monitoring 1200 newborns from the ‘Isle of Wight cohort’ found that first borns were more likely to carry a gene variant which raised their risk of developing an allergy before the age of 10.  The study suggested that a first born experienced different conditions in the uterus from subsequent siblings.
The researchers measured levels of an antibody called Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the babies’ umbilical cord blood.  This is known to play a key role in the development of allergic responses.   First born babies were more likely to have high levels of IgE, and those that …read more