Early nutrition and risk of islet autoimmunity
and type 1 diabetes
The change in type 1 diabetes incidence and other evidence suggests a role for environmental factors in the development of the disease. Nutritional factors early in life may contribute to the development of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes. Our objective is to study the relationship between early nutrition and the risk of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes in genetically susceptible children by combining data from established national and international cohorts (MIDIA, DIPP and DAISY), and children in the general population in a large Norwegian prospective cohort based on registry data (PAGE). Our main hypothesis is that there are nutritional factors in early life triggering the development of autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes.
Also in 2021, Nicolai Lund-Blix visited the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki. He analyzed data from the Finnish DIPP-study (Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Study). The results were presented at European Diabetes Epidemiology Group (EDEG) 2021. The data presented showed that the mother`s intake of gluten during the pregnancy did not affect the child`s risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
This international cooperation will continue after the end of this project.