London, Sept 17 : A new study has found that pregnant women who eat low-fat yoghurt are more likely to have children with asthma.

The analysis of the habits of tens of thousands of pregnant women also linked low-fat yoghurt with the development of hay fever, the Daily Mail reported.

The researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in the US said that it might be missing fats that protect against allergies.

In the latest study, more than 60,000 women were quizzed on their eating habits while pregnant.

Children whose mothers ate low-fat yoghurt while carrying them were 60 per cent more likely to have developed asthma by the age of seven than those who weren't exposed to the food in the womb.

And their odds of hay fever were three times higher than those of other children.

The researchers say that full-fat dairy products may contain fats that help programme the unborn baby's immune system away from allergies.

It may also be the case that low-fat yoghurt with fruit contains ingredients that raise the risk of asthma and hay fever.

The findings were presented at the European Respirator Society's annual conference. (ANI)