Prenatal Antibodies to Gluten Protein, but Not Casein, Linked to Psychosis

Maternal antibodies to gluten in wheat products and casein in cow's milk cross the placenta during the third trimester; theoretically, these antibodies could affect development of childhood-onset nonaffective psychosis. To test this hypothesis, researchers conducted a follow-up study of infants born in Sweden during 1975–1985 from whom dried blood-spot samples had been obtained as newborns. Registry data were used to identify individuals with nonaffective psychosis up to 28 years later. The investigators compared blood-spot antibody levels of gliadin (a protein in gluten) and casein in 211 participants with nonaffective psychosis and 553 unaffected individuals matched by age, sex, and location.

Very high percentiles of gliadin antibody level…