ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo examine the association between maternal and child gluten intake and risk of type 1 diabetes in children.DESIGNPregnancy cohortSETTINGPopulation-based, nation-wide study in NorwayPARTICIPANTS86,306 children in The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study born from 1999 through 2009, followed to April 15, 2018.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESClinical type 1 diabetes, ascertained in a nation-wide childhood diabetes registry. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox regression for the exposures maternal gluten intake up to week 22 of pregnancy and child’s gluten intake when the child was 18 months old.RESULTSDuring a mean follow-up of 12.3 years (range 0.7-16.0), 346 children (0.4%) developed type 1 diabetes (incidence rate 32.6 per 100,000 person-years). The average gluten intake was 13.6 grams/day for mothers during pregnancy, and 8.8 grams/day for the child at 18 months of age. Maternal gluten intake in mid-pregnancy was not associated with the development of type 1 diabetes in the child (adjusted hazard ratio 1.02 (95% confidence interval 0.73 to 1.43) per 10 grams/day increase in gluten intake). However, the child’s gluten intake at 18 months of age was associated with an increased risk of later developing type 1 diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio 1.46 (95% confidence interval 1.06 to 2.01) per 10 grams/day increase in gluten intake).CONCLUSIONSThis study suggests that the child’s gluten intake at 18 months of age, and not the maternal intake during pregnancy, could increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in the child.WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPICA national prospective cohort study from Denmark found that a high maternal gluten intake during pregnancy could increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in the offspring (adjusted hazard ratio 1.31 (95% confidence interval 1.001 to 1.72) per 10 grams/day increase in gluten intake). No studies have investigated the relation between the amount of gluten intake by both the mother during pregnancy and the child in early life and risk of developing type 1 diabetes in childhood.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDSIn this prospective population-based pregnancy cohort with 86,306 children of whom 346 developed type 1 diabetes we found that the child’s gluten intake at 18 months of age was associated with the risk of type 1 diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio 1.46 (95% confidence interval 1.06 to 2.01) per 10 grams/day increase in gluten intake). This study suggests that the child’s gluten intake at 18 months of age, and not the maternal intake during pregnancy, could increase the child’s risk of type 1 diabetes.
Response to Comment on Weber et al. Type 1 Diabetes Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Fracture Across the Life Span: A Population-Based Cohort Study Using The Health Improvement Network (THIN). Diabetes Care 2015;38:1913–1920
