A new study adds more evidence that cow’s milk proteins trigger type
1 diabetes. Marcia Goldfarb of Anatek-EP, a protein research laboratory
in Portland, Maine, reports having found antibodies to bovine
beta-lactoglobulin in the serum of children with diabetes. Individuals
without diabetes did not have the antibody.
Type 1 diabetes is believed to be caused when antibodies destroy the
insulin-producing pancreatic cells. Several studies have suggested that
cow’s milk proteins may trigger the production of these dangerous
antibodies. Larger studies are currently testing this theory.
Goldfarb M. Relation of time
of introduction of cow milk protein to an infant and risk of type 1
diabetes mellitus. J Proteome Research 2008;7:2165-7
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