Wheat Gluten Linked to Type 1 Diabetes
 (HealthDayNews, 9/30/03)

Two reports in the Oct.1, 2003 edition of JAMA suggest that gluten, a protein found in wheat flour, can trigger Type 1 Diabetes in individuals who are genetically predisposed to the disease.

In the first study, Jill Norris of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and team, compared diets and blood test results for 1,183 American infants whose genetics or family history predisposed them to diabetes. The scientists found that infants fed cereal before 4 months of age or after 6 months were more likely to develop Islet Auto-immunity (IA), a condition in which antibodies attack islet cells, the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. IA can destroy the body's ability to produce insulin and result in Type 1 diabetes. The researchers noted a decreased IA risk for infants introduced to cereals while still breast-feeding.

In the second study, German scientists monitored 1,610 babies of diabetic parents to determine how the timing of exposure to breast milk, formula, solid food or gluten affects the risk of IA. The researchers found that infants given gluten-containing foods before 3 months of age were 5 times likelier to develop auto-antibodies than those introduced to gluten after 3 months of age.