Celiac disease is an intolerance to the protein gluten found in wheat, barley and rye. Although there is a genetic predisposition to this autoimmune condition, a striking increase in incidence over the past several decades indicates there may also be a strong environmental factor.
Some pediatricians have recommended exposing at-risk babies to gluten during their first year to protect them from developing celiac disease. But two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine this week show that neither breastfeeding duration nor the timing of gluten introduction changes the likelihood of developing celiac disease.
[New England Journal of Medicine, Oct. 2, 2014]
For much more information on celiac disease, its diagnosis and treatment, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, listen to our interview with Alessio Fasano, MD, director of the Center for Celiac Disease Research and division chief of the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. He is the author of Gluten Freedom.
