June 6, 2005 – The results of a study1 recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicate that starting to feed cereals high in gluten to children predisposed to celiac disease when they are four to six months old may help decrease their risk of developing the disease.
Celiac disease is a permanent intolerance to gluten, which is found in particular in wheat, rye and barley. It causes chronic inflammation of the small intestine, which leads to malabsorption of many nutrients and symptoms such as diarrhea, stunted growth, swelling of the lower extremities, fatigue and anemia.
From 1994 to 2004, researchers at the Faculty of Biometrics and Preventive Medicine at the University of Colorado in the United States followed 1,560 children genetically predisposed to celiac disease for an average of four to five years. They noted at what age the cereals were introduced into the diet of those who contracted the disease and those who did not.
The authors of the study conclude that the introduction of cereals rich in gluten, either before the age of three months or after seven months, would increase the risk of contracting the disease. On the other hand, their introduction into the diet around the age of four to six months would have the effect of preventing or delaying their onset. It is emphasized that these results, if proven to be correct, would only apply to children with a genetic predisposition to celiac disease.
The researchers do not rule out the possibility that the apparently protective effect of an initial gluten exposure at four to six months of age is only temporary and that the majority of these children eventually end up suffering from celiac disease. . It is believed that long-term follow-up of subjects in this cohort will be necessary before advising at-risk children to be given gluten-rich cereals before the age of six months.
Note also that the American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued guidelines2 in which she recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first six months of life for children in general.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to IntelliHealth
1. Norris JM, Barriga K, et al. Risk of celiac disease autoimmunity and timing of gluten introduction in the diet of infants at increased risk of disease.JAMA. 2005 May 18; 293 (19): 2343-51.
2. Gartner LM, Morton J, et al; American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding and the use of human milk.Pediatrics. 2005 Feb; 115 (2): 496-506.
