June 30, 2000 -- Eating more meat and dairy products has been linked to a higher rate of type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes), and having a diet heavy in plant products -- especially cereals -- was tied to less type 1 diabetes, a recent study suggests. So does this mean that serving oatmeal instead of bacon cheeseburgers will prevent your child from getting diabetes? No, it's not that simple, experts say.
Type 1 diabetes, beginning in childhood and requiring insulin for treatment, probably arises from the complex interaction of environmental influences and heredity. And the role of dietary habits may begin in infancy and even during pregnancy. However, "it is very encouraging that there appears to be a relationship between diet and diabetes, because these may be modifiable risk factors," says Robert P. Trevino, MD, who reviewed the study for WebMD. In his research as director of the Social and Health Research Center in San Antonio, he has found that nutrition and exercise may also play some role in development of type 2 diabetes, which is different from type 1 and may not require insulin treatment.
The study, which was reported in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that food energy derived from meat and dairy products is associated with higher risk of type 1 diabetes, whereas food energy from vegetable sources, especially cereals, is associated with lower risk. Total calorie intake did not predict diabetes risk. "I'm fascinated by this report," says Peter Smail, MA, BM, curator of the Scottish Study Group for the Care of Young Diabetics. "Ever since I moved up the coast in East Scotland in 1980 and found ... twice as many child diabetics in Aberdeen as Dundee, I've been obsessed by the possible reasons for the steady and inexorable rise in child diabetics."
In Smail's group, type 1 diabetes has been increasing by 2% each year. Although genetic factors may be important, "the increase overall has to be mainly environmental, with dietary factors prime candidates," says Smail. He explains that during 1940-1945, when food rationing was in force, deaths from diabetes in Britain went down by 40%, and there were virtually no new cases of diabetes in Scottish children. Every day, 35 more American children are found to have type 1 diabetes, according to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Symptoms may include:
Excessive thirst
Constant hunger
Frequent urination
Sudden weight loss
Sudden vision changes
Rapid breathing
Drowsiness or exhaustion
Fruity odor on the breath
Insulin injections must be given to these children several times each day to lower high blood sugar. This improves but does not cure the disease and doesn't entirely prevent serious complications such as blindness, heart attack, kidney failure, stroke, nerve damage, and amputations. Type 1 diabetics must check their blood sugar several times daily by pricking their finger for a blood sample, to avoid excessively high or low blood sugar, both of which are life-threatening. And they must pay close attention to healthy diet and exercise.
The Italian study used World Health Organization data to compare 40 countries, rather than looking at individuals. Although interpreting this type of data can be difficult, the results are consistent with earlier studies showing increased type 1 diabetes risk with increased intake of cow's milk and meat protein, as well as with food additives and nitrates in drinking water. Earlier findings also suggest that vegetarian diets may protect against this and other chronic diseases.
The Italian researchers recommend further study of diet during pregnancy and early infancy to help determine how diet may interact with inherited tendencies in type 1 diabetes, and to look at possible prevention through diet. In this study, inhabitants of wealthier, better educated, and colder countries less dependent on farming were at greater risk of type 1 diabetes -- but they may tend to eat more meat and dairy products and less vegetables and grains.
Vital Information:Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes affects nearly one child in every 600. Insulin injections and careful attention to diet and lifestyle improve but do not cure the disease or entirely prevent serious complications.
An Italian research study showed that meat and dairy products in the diet were associated with increased risk of type 1 diabetes, and that vegetables, especially cereals, were associated with lower risk.
The role of diet in diabetes may begin during infancy or even pregnancy, but more study needs to be done to better understand this relationship.
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