Comments on: Type 1 Diabetes: The Gut Connection.

By: NikkiT

NikkiT — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:04:55 +0000

The gluten/gliadin-T1D connection is an interesting one, and I haven’t heard that much about it until very recently. The theory that I’m more familiar with involves beta casein A1 as a factor. There have been several epidemiological studies that have linked cow’s milk to T1D (although epi studies on diet tend to be flawed and hard to interpret.)
I would like to see some time course studies- understanding the progression of the disease from preclinical to overt T1D with respect to pancreatic and intestinal damage might give us a better idea of which one comes first. My bet is on pro-inflammatory wheat and casein peptides as a contributing factor in disease progression.
For now, though, it’s hard to say for sure that either casein or gluten is truly causative. It is also possible that T1D is a general autoimmune disorder in which the intestinal epithelium is an innocent bystander and a victim of hyperglycemia- its destruction leads to leaky gut and then you get introduction of antigens into the lamina propria, which triggers antibody production.

Sorry ‘bout the long comment, I get all excited when I see science posts…
NikkiT

By: bType 1 Diabetes: The Gut Connection. « Diabetes Information

bType 1 Diabetes: The Gut Connection. « Diabetes Information — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:03:58 +0000

[...] millyyates wrote an interesting post today. Here’s a quick excerptThe study involved the analysis of 33 people with bType 1 diabetes/b, all of whom had normal intestinal architecture. I emphasize this point because theoretically, a biopsy is the “gold standard” test for Celiac, which appears to be the … [...]

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:25:13 +0000

WOW that is a great research article! I hope the scientists find out more about dietary antigens, the gut immune system, and type 1 diabetes. It’s not just cereal grains though, I’m pretty sure dairy is another important factor.

By: Wed 11-11-09 » Fit Body Elite

Wed 11-11-09 » Fit Body Elite — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:54:51 +0000

[...] Type 1 Diabetes: The Gut Connection.. [...]

By: Stephan

Stephan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:05:41 +0000

Robb,

I definitely agree that improvements after eliminating gluten are the ultimate indication of gluten sensitivity, regardless of test results.

By: Robb Wolf

Robb Wolf — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:39:12 +0000

Ben-
thanks brother! Let your friend know there are several type 1 posts in the archive.

Ahh…the Zone…

By: Robb Wolf

Robb Wolf — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:38:14 +0000

Stephen-
Yes, but again you need a fairly advanced condition already in place to shed enough antibodies to get a positive test. One could be quite ill but still sub-clinical. I’m all for a variety of lab diagnostics but I’m still of a mind to simply recommend elimination to see if a myriad of symptoms improves.

By: Robb Wolf

Robb Wolf — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:44:41 +0000

Sarah-
Yep, I suspect 5-10 years from now this position will really change in the medical community, but that’s a long time to wait.

By: miss spinach

miss spinach — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:59:13 +0000

Great post Robb!

I think it is so unfortunate when medical types give people the advice to keep eating gluten until there is damage to the villi, so that a “proper diagnosis” is made of what is pretty much an end-stage manifestation of a gluten problem…letting a person suffer unnecessarily for years. This is asinine, like saying to an overweight person, “keep eating a dozen donuts a day until you are morbidly obese. Then at that point you should change your diet, but not until then, so we know for sure you’re fat.” Sounds stupid but I think it is the same.

By: Stephan

Stephan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:43:28 +0000

An interesting tidbit from the paper:

“All of the type 1 diabetic patients were observed to be HLA-DQ2 and/or -DQ8 positive”

Robb, any opinion on stool antibody testing for gluten sensitivity? The paper appears to be in line with the concept.