“Inflammatory” diet during pregnancy may increase the risk of diabetes type 1 in children

A diet that is rich in foods that can promote low-grade inflammation during pregnancy may increase the risk of children developing type 1 diabetes, suggesting that a Danish study has been published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

This dietary pattern is associated with a 16% increase in the risk of 16% for each unit increase in dietary measurements of inflammatory food intake, the findings show.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, requiring lifelong insulin therapy.

New cases of type 1 diabetes are steadily increasing, particularly in developed countries, with an average annual increase of 3-4%, which strongly suggests a major role for environmental factors.

And, as the immune system develops in early childhood and is established to some degree before birth, there is a strong case for investigating the role of mothers' diet during pregnancy.

To explore this further, the researchers portrayed pregnant women in the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) (January 1996 to October 2002).

They calculated inflammatory-based scores of maternal normal dietary intake (EDII score) during mid-term pregnancy from a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire covering 38 food groups (360 separate items) completed approximately 25 weeks during pregnancy.

Foods often reported to be inflammatory include red/processed meat. Sugar sweet drinks; commercial baked goods; refined grain products such as white bread and pasta. Fried food; food with added sugar. and trans fats found in non-dairy creamers and some margarines.

In all, the final analysis included 67,701 mother-child pairs.

Information on the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children was obtained through the registration link with childhood and adolescent diabetes in Denmark. Approximately 281 (nearly 0.5%) developed conditions during the 17-year average follow-up period. The average age at the time of diagnosis was 10.

The average mother's EDII score ranged from -5.3 to 4.1, with higher scores indicating higher dietary intakes for inflammatory foods.

Increased EDII scores were associated with younger mothers' age, reduced alcohol consumption, shorter breastfeeding duration, and less favorable socioeconomic situations. They were also associated with a higher BMI (weight) and a tendency to smoke beyond the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

There was no significant difference in total energy intake among women with the highest and lowest EDII scores. However, daily intakes of lean meat, low-fat dairy products, pizza, margarine, potatoes, low-energy drinks, fries and flavorful snacks were increasing.

On the other hand, higher daily intakes of allium (onions and garlic), tomatoes, whole grains, coffee, green leafy vegetables, fruit juice, dark meatfish, black tea and fruit were reflected in a lower EDII score.

The risk of type 1 diabetes in children was associated with mothers' EDII scores and increased scores by age 18 by 16% after accounting for potentially influential factors. Simply put, one standard deviation of the EDII distribution, one unit of EDII, corresponds to approximately third place in the population from the third to the top 3rd.

This risk was not affected by the child's gender or weight at birth, but appears to have been influenced by the mother's gluten intake and whether or not they smoked during pregnancy.

An increase in estimated gluten intake of 10 g was associated with a 36% increase in risk.

This is an observational study, and therefore the cause and effect cannot be established. And the researchers were unable to explain the child's diet.

However, they write that “low-grade inflammatory conditions secondary to changes in immune cell profiles that cause proinflammatory pathways are increasingly recognized as an important early factor affecting offspring health.”

They note: “The exact mechanisms that regulate the diet of immune responses can provide some cues to certain nutritional content, but some cues can provide some cues.”

They said, “Three factors during pregnancy that are particularly noteworthy, proinflammatory dietary patterns, gluten and smoking seemed to independently predict the risk of children with type 1 diabetes.