Gluten appears safe for toddlers at high risk of T1D: study

Study following children to age 14 finds no association between gluten intake and developing the disease
Reuters Health Staff writer

Gluten intake is not associated with islet autoimmunity or progression to type 1 diabetes in older infants and toddlers at risk of the disease, a new study shows.

The Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY) which followed more than 1900 US children from 9 months to age 14 years, showed no association between age at introduction of foods containing wheat and barley and type 1 diabetes.

“There is no rationale to reduce the amount of gluten during childhood and adolescence in the high-risk population to prevent development of type 1 diabetes,” said Dr Nicolai Lund-Blix from the University of Colorado and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Dr Lund-Blix and colleagues investigated whether age at introduction of gluten or cumulative gluten intake throughout childhood and adolescence was associated with the development of islet autoimmunity and progression to diabetes.