Can breastfeeding reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes in children?

Research on the role of diet in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes is often insufficiently evidenced.
At present, through a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies on foods that may be related to the risk of children with type 1 diabetes, some high-quality studies have shown that long Breastfeeding and later intake of gluten may reduce the risk of disease
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This study by Karolinska Institute researchers was published in the journal EBio Medicine
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 Research background More and more children are diagnosed with autoimmune disease-type 1 diabetes
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In Sweden, 40 out of every 100,000 children are diagnosed with this disease every year, which is the country with the second highest incidence in the world
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This negative trend seems to depend on a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but the possible prevention question remains unanswered
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So far, studies on the role of diet in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes have not found clear results
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Now, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have reviewed and analyzed existing research on the relationship between the diet of mothers and children during infancy and childhood and the risk of type 1 diabetes
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 Research Introduction Anna Maria Lampousi, a doctoral student at the Institute of Environmental Medicine of Karolinska Institutet, pointed out that a meta-analysis conducted by his team showed that breastfeeding and adding gluten after a certain period of time may reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes
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At the same time, it should be noted that genetic factors and various environmental factors may affect the risk of type 1 diabetes.
From an individual level, whether infant formula or gluten is consumed in the first few months after birth, the risk is affected.
Still very low
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 The researchers screened 5,935 articles published in medical journals as of October 2020, and included 96 studies that contained results on children’s diet and the risk of type 1 diabetes with the required quality of evidence into the meta-analysis
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The researchers evaluated a total of 26 diet-related factors, such as breastfeeding, age at eating different foods, intrauterine nutrient violence, and children's daily diet
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 Studies with the strongest evidence show that the longer breastfeeding and the subsequent addition of gluten, the lower the risk of type 1 diabetes
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For babies who are breastfeeding for at least 6 to 12 months, the risk of developing type 1 diabetes is 61% lower than other babies
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Babies who were exposed to gluten at 3 to 6 months of age were 64% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than those who were exposed to gluten earlier
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 The researchers said that there is currently no study of what mechanisms can explain this association
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However, previous studies have shown that breastfeeding has a positive effect on children’s immune system and the development of the intestinal biome as a whole, while experimental studies have shown that gluten may damage insulin-producing β cells
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 The study also found that for children who were breastfed for at least two months and then started to consume milk (two to three months old) and fruit (four to six months old), there is moderate-quality evidence that breastfeeding Associated with a reduced risk of type 1 diabetes
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 The researchers said that the increased risk of type 1 diabetes and the consumption of at least 2-3 servings of milk products a day during childhood are also related to this, but the quality of the evidence for this finding is low and should be interpreted with caution
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The study also pointed out the protective effects of vitamin D supplementation during infancy, and the mother's diet during pregnancy has nothing to do with infant type 1 diabetes
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 Sofia Carlsson, a senior lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, pointed out that through this meta-analysis, researchers are trying to explain which dietary factors have strong or moderate quality of evidence that may be related to the risk of type 1 diabetes
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Research analysis shows that there are reasons to study more carefully the protective effects of breastfeeding on type 1 diabetes and the importance of introducing gluten, milk and fruits in the later stages of infancy
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At the same time, the quality of evidence for most dietary factors is generally low, and more high-quality studies are needed in order to be able to obtain any definitive conclusions
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 References: [1] Breastfeeding linked to lower risk of type 1diabetes – Medical Xpress – Oct 18, 2021[2] Anna-Maria Lampousi et al.
Dietary factors and risk of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis, EBioMedicine.
2021,72.
doi: 10.
1016/j.
ebiom.
2021.
103633