Excess consumption of gluten may greatly elevate one’s risk for type 1 diabetes.
In a new study, two groups of mice were given similar diets. One group, however, was given food that contained gluten, while the other group was given a gluten-free diet. The group that consumed a gluten-free diet had a dramatically lower rate of type 1 diabetes.
Interestingly, after gluten was added back into these mices diets, many of the mice developed diabetes.
The authors suggest that these results are likely due to gluten’s effects on the gut bacteria, and that avoiding gluten consumption may lead to a more favorable microbiome of gut bacteria.
Conclusions
Unfortunately, because this study was done on mice, it is impossible to know whether or not these same results would be found in humans. This is one of the many studies, however, that have suggested that large amounts of gluten consumption may lead to unfavorable effects.
References
1 Marietta EV, et al. Low incidence of spontaneous type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice raised on gluten-free diets is associated with changes in the intestinal microbiome. PLoS One. 2013 Nov.