Gluten-free diet in patients with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease improved outcomes, study says

Italy: A systematic review, published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, highlights that young people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CD) who adhere to a gluten-free diet (GFD) have better outcomes in regular growth and stable BMI without having any negative effects on HbA1c levels or insulin requirements.Gluten-free

There have been conflicting results from studies evaluating the effect of a gluten-free diet on clinical, biochemical, and psychosocial outcomes in young people with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Enza Mozzillo and colleagues undertook this study in order to assess the effects of a gluten-free diet on development, metabolic management, and quality of life in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

A thorough search was done for this study, encompassing papers released within the previous 15 years. The PICOS framework was applied to the selection process, and the GRADE system was employed to evaluate the evidence.

The key findings of this study were;

1. Studies comparing young people with T1D + CD on GFD to those with T1D alone found no appreciable changes in growth metrics, HbA1c, the number of hypoglycemic episodes, or total daily insulin doses.

2. Studies evaluating the impact of the implementation of the GFD revealed steady BMI and HbA1c.

3. Only two studies evaluated QoL, and they found no differences between young people with T1D and CD and those with T1D alone, as well as between CD diagnoses before and after the introduction of GFD.

In conclusion, according to this study's comprehensive evaluation, following the GFD is linked to normal growth without a negative rise in BMI. Additionally, GFD is linked to greater post-prandial glucose but has no deleterious effects on HbA1c or insulin dosages. Even though it is only supported by data from a small amount of research, following the GFD is linked to better lipid profiles and a higher quality of life.

Reference: 

Mozzillo, E., Franceschi, R., Di Candia, F., Rosanio, F. M., Leonardi, L., Fedi, L., Rosà, V., Cauvin, V., Franzese, A., & Loredana Marcovecchio, M. (2022). The impact of gluten-free diet on growth, metabolic control and quality of life in youth with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease: A systematic review. In Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice (Vol. 191, p. 110032). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2022.110032