This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Gluten may be linked to islet autoimmunity in infants
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Introducing gluten into an infant’s diet later than age 9 months was associated with an increased risk for islet autoimmunity and the presence of insulin autoantibodies compared with introducing gluten earlier, according to findings published in Diabetes Care.
Ulla Uusitalo, PhD, associate professor at the Health Informatic Institute, department of pediatrics at Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida in Tampa, and colleagues evaluated data from the TEDDY study on 7,563 children with increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes who were followed for at least 9 months to examine the duration of breast-feeding and timing of complementary foods and risk for islet autoimmunity. Median follow-up was 92 months.
Islet autoimmunity was evaluated through blood samples collected every 3 months starting at birth. Persistent, confirmed insulin autoantibodies, glutamic acid decarboxylase or insulinoma antigen-2 were used to define islet autoimmunity.
Later introduction of gluten-containing cereals was associated with an increased risk for any islet autoimmunity (HR = 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.1 for every 1-month delay) and risk for insulin autoantibodies (HR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1-1.16 for every 1-month delay) after adjustment for potential confounders. No association was observed between the risk for islet autoimmunity or insulin autoantibodies and durations of exclusive breast-feeding or any breast-feeding, the timing of any infant formula, the timing of single foods other than gluten-containing cereals or any solid food introduction as a combined variable of exposures of solid foods.
The risk for any islet autoimmunity was increased with the introduction of gluten-containing cereals introduced between 0 and 4 months; risk plateaued from 4 to 9 months and increased again at introduction from 9 months and beyond. The risk for any islet autoimmunity was decreased with introduction of gluten-containing cereals before 4 months of age (HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.47-0.99) and increased with introduction after 9 months of age (HR = 1.57; 95% CI, 1.07-2.31) compared with introduction between 4 and 9 months.
“This was the first international study where duration of breast-feeding and timing of the introduction of new foods and their relationship with [type 1 diabetes]-related autoantibodies were studied,” the researchers wrote. “Overall, we could not confirm the previously published findings between early infant feeding and the risk of [islet autoimmunity]. Nevertheless, the timing of gluten-containing cereals and the appearance of islet autoantibodies should be studied further. New dietary recommendations for early infant feeding cannot be made based on the current results.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts