Mother’s inflammatory diet may increase child’s risk of developing diabetes

A new observational study of 67,701 mother-child pairs has found that diets high in foods promoting low-grade inflammation during pregnancy may raise the risk of the child developing type 1 diabetes. Also, a 10 g increase in a mother’s gluten intake during pregnancy was associated with a 36% increase in risk. 

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, found that for every unit increase in dietary measure of inflammatory food intake, there is a 16% increase in risk.

Over an average of 17 years of tracking, 281 people (nearly 0.5%) developed the condition. At diagnosis, their average age was ten.

“The precise mechanisms by which diet modulates the immune response remain elusive, although some clues can be offered for specific dietary components,” the paper reads. “Of particular note is the fact that three factors during mid-pregnancy — a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern, gluten, and smoking — seemed to independently predict the child’s risk of type 1 diabetes.”

“This suggests that mid-pregnancy may be a critical period during which the fetus is particularly susceptible to maternal lifestyle influences in relation to the individual’s later risk for developing type 1 diabetes during childhood or adolescence.”

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that destroys insulin-producing β-cells in the pancreas. 

From questionnaire to diagnosis 

Researchers flag that rates of type 1 diabetes are steadily rising at an average of 3–4% annually, especially in developed countries. They believe the environment is a key factor.

The mother’s diet is a modifiable factor during pregnancy, which led the researchers to study mother-child pairs from the Danish National Birth Cohort (January 1996 to October 2002).

Researchers note foods often reported to have inflammatory properties include red or processed meats, sugar-sweetened drinks, commercial baked goods, refined grain products such as white bread and pasta, deep-fried foods, foods high in added sugar, and trans fats found in non-dairy creamers and some margarines.

Rates of type 1 diabetes are steadily rising at an average of 3–4% annually, especially in developed countries.The women had contributed to a food frequency questionnaire, covering 38 food groups (360 separate items), at around 25 weeks of pregnancy. The researchers calculated a score based on the inflammatory potential (EDII score).

Scores linked to risk 

Mothers with higher EDII scores had a higher intake of inflammatory foods, which was also linked to younger maternal age, lower alcohol consumption, shorter breastfeeding periods, and less favorable socioeconomic circumstances.

Those with high EDII scores also had higher BMI (weight) and smoking tendencies over the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. They also ate more red meat, low-fat dairy, pizza, margarine, potatoes, low-energy drinks, French fries, and savory snacks. 

Mothers with high and low scores had no difference in total energy intake. 

Those with a low EDII score ate more alliums (onions and garlic), tomatoes, whole grains, coffee, green leafy vegetables, fruit juice, dark meat fish, tea, and fruits.

The study posits that the scores can be associated with the risk of a child’s type 1 diabetes. The child’s sex or weight at birth did not affect the risk. But the mother’s gluten and smoking intake during pregnancy did.