Gluten-free diet may be beneficial in the management of type 1 diabetes

This study was posted in the Journal of Pediatrics 2000 Aug;137(2):263-5

Study title and authors:

Gluten-dependent diabetes-related and thyroid-related autoantibodies in patients with celiac disease.

Ventura A, Neri E, Ughi C, Leopaldi A, Città A, Not T.

Clinica Pediatrica e Laboratorio di Analisi, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo" Trieste, Trieste, Italy.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10931424?dopt=Abstract

This study investigated the incidence of type 1 diabetes autoantibodies in patients with celiac disease. Diabetes autoantibodies increase the risk of devolping type 1 diabetes. The study included 90 celiac patients. 

In the general population the incidence of type 1 diabetes is around 1 in 10,000 (.01%).

The study found:

(a) 11.1% of celiac patients have type 1 diabetes autoantibodies. 

(b) The autoantibodies seemed to be gluten-dependent and tended to disappear during a gluten-free diet.

This study shows how a gluten-free diet may be beneficial in the management of type 1 diabetes.

Links to other studies:
Gluten free diet gives type 1 diabetics an improvement in quality of life, better blood sugar control, disappearance of diarrhea and an increase in the uptake of iron
Gluten-containing foods increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in children