Berger’s disease is a kidney disease linked to an immune defect. It impairs the kidney and kidney function. In 20% to 30% of cases, this disease progresses to renal failure after 20 years. This pathology affects approximately 1% of the world’s population and 1,500 new cases are diagnosed each year in France. It most often occurs in young adults, on average from the age of 20. However, it can also occur in children or older adults.
Researchers from the French Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) subjected three generations of mice with Berger’s disease to a diet gluten free. They observed that the health status of the rodents was improving. On the other hand, when they reintroduced gluten into the diet of the guinea pigs, the disease reappeared after a month.
The results of this study are encouraging, but the conclusions have yet to be validated in humans.
“Gluten avoidance blocked disease progression in mice. We must now verify whether the same is true in humans. We must conduct a controlled clinical study in patients, to assess the real benefit of a gluten-free diet,” says Renato Monteiro, director of the research center on inflammation. “The goal is to avoid gluten as soon as possible after a diagnosis of Berger’s disease in patients sensitive to gluten (anti-gliadin antibodies). If this measure is taken before the deterioration of the kidney, it could make it possible to prevent the evolution towards a renal insufficiency”, estimates it.
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