Thursday 15 May 2014

Gluten-Free Diet May Reduce Diabetes Risk

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Interesting research has emerged linking a mom’s gluten-free diet to reduced risk of type 1 diabetes in offspring. Research was published in the journal Diabetes.

New experiments on mice show that mouse mothers can protect their offspring from developing type 1 diabetes by eating a gluten-free diet. According to preliminary studies by reseachers at the University of Copenhagen, the findings may apply to humans.

"Preliminary tests show that a gluten-free diet in humans has a positive effect on children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. We therefore hope that a gluten-free diet during pregnancy and lactation may be enough to protect high-risk children from developing diabetes later in life," said assistant professor Camilla Hartmann Friis Hansen from the Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

The experiment showed that the diet changed the intestinal bacteria in both the mother and offspring. The intestinal flora plays an important role for the development of the immune system as well as the development of type 1 diabetes, and the study suggests that the protective effect of a gluten-free diet can be ascribed to certain intestinal bacteria. The advantage of the gluten-free diet is that the only side-effect seems to be the inconvenience of having to avoid gluten, but there is no certain evidence of the effect or side-effects.

Until now, the general consensus suggests a gluten-free diet is only beneficial to those with celiac disease or those who are gluten intolerant. However, the demand for gluten-free foods has skyrocketed, primarily because consumers have begun seeking such products for weight loss or based on the perception that those products are healthier than their gluten-containing counterparts.

Contrary to popular belief, removing gluten from products can actually be detrimental to the nutrition of that product, as wheat contains many vitamins, minerals and protein that are removed with the wheat. The Food Product Design Digital Issue, “The Joy of Gluten-Free Baking," talks nutrition, function and quality of gluten-free baked goods. After all, any product, even those free from gluten, have to pass consumers quality tests; this is true for taste, texture and nutrition, among other components.


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