Preventing Type 1 Diabetes

At-risk infants who were fed hydrolyzed casein formula developed fewer diabetes-associated autoantibodies.

Several studies have suggested that early exposure to complex dietary proteins might be associated with increased risk for type 1 diabetes, perhaps by triggering autoimmunity. But can a dietary intervention during infancy prevent type 1 diabetes? In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial conducted in Finland, 208 full-term infants at risk for type 1 diabetes (with at-risk human leukocyte antigen [HLA] genotype and a family member with type 1 diabetes) received either an extensively hydrolyzed casein-based formula or a control cow's milk–based formula (80% intact milk protein) until age 6 to 8 months, whenever breast milk was not available.

During 10 years of follow-up, children in the hydrolyzed casein group were significantly less likely…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Preventing Type 1 Diabetes

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Reviewing Author