Research suggests diabetes link to cow's milk
20 October, 2000
Research published in the October 2000 issue of the journal Diabetes, has suggested that some children who have been given cow’s milk formula when they are very young may develop type 1 diabetes later in life.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki studied infants with one diabetic parent and at increased risk from the disease. The infants were split into groups to receive either cow’s milk-based formula or a combination of a non-cow’s milk formula after breast feeding.
Earlier research has suggested that type 1 diabetes may be caused by the body’s immune system producing immunity to insulin. This immunity may develop after exposure to insulin in early childhood. This may occur through exposure to cow’s milk based formulae, which contains cow’s insulin.
Researchers found that immune systems in infants who received the cow’s milk formula reacted strongly to cow’s insulin, leading them to suspect that a small but regular dose of the cow’s insulin via cow’s milk, early in life, may lead to type 1 diabetes later in their life.
It was also found that where the infant had a diabetic mother rather than father, this effect was lessened, suggesting that as the baby had been exposed to both diabetes and insulin treatment while in the womb, that lessened the risk.
Last Reviewed: 10 July 2003
- 1. Paronen J, Knip M, Savilahti E, Virtanen SM, Ilonen J, Akerblom HK, Vaarala O. Effect of cow's milk exposure and maternal type 1 diabetes on cellular and humoral immunization to dietary insulin in infants at genetic risk for type 1 diabetes. Finnish Trial to Reduce IDDM in the Genetically at Risk Study Group. Diabetes 2000; 49(10): 1657-65.
