Research Finds Consuming Fruit And Oats Increases Type 1 Diabetes Risk But Berries Offer Protection

New research presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid, Spain, has found that eating fruit, oats, and rye in childhood is associated with a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes (T1D). Eating berries, however, is linked to lower odds of developing the condition.

T1D is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. This prevents the body from producing enough of the hormone insulin to properly regulate blood sugar levels.

T1D, the most common form of diabetes in children, is increasing worldwide. The number of cases worldwide is projected to double in just 20 years, from 8.4 million in 2021 to 17.4 million by 2040.

“Type 1 diabetes is a serious condition that requires lifelong treatment and so places a considerable burden on the patient and their family,” says Professor Suvi Virtanen, of Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland, who led the research.

“It can lead to complications including eye, heart, nerve and kidney problems and shorten life expectancy and has substantial health care costs”.

“The rapid increase in type 1 diabetes in children suggests that environmental factors play an important role in the development of the disease. Identifying these factors will offer an opportunity to develop strategies to prevent it and its complications.”

Numerous foodstuffs have been linked to islet autoimmunity – the attack on the insulin-producing cells – and T1D but there is a lack of high-quality evidence from prospective studies and the existence of a link remains controversial.

To address this, Professor Virtanen and colleagues explored whether diet in infancy and early childhood was associated with the development of T1D in thousands of children in Finland.

5,674 children (3,010 boys and 2,664 girls) with genetic susceptibility to T1D were followed from birth to the age of six. Food records completed by their parents repeatedly from the age of three months to 6 years provided information on the entire diet.

By the age of six, 94 of the children had developed type 1 diabetes. Another 206 developed islet autoimmunity and so were at substantially increased risk of developing T1D in the next few years.

The 34 food groups covered the entire diet and, when they were all factored in, several foods were associated with a higher risk of developing T1D.

The results show that the more fruit, oats or rye children ate, the more their risk of T1D increased.

In contrast, eating strawberries, blueberries, lingonberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and other berries appeared to provide protection against T1D(7). The more berries a child ate, the less likely they were to develop T1D.

Reference: Virtanen, S. M., E. J. Peltonen, L. Hakola, S. Niinistö, H.-M. Takkinen, S. Ahonen, M. Akerlund, U. Uusitalo, M. Mattila, T. E. I. Salo, J. Ilonen, J. Toppari, R. Veijola, M. Knip, & J. Nevalainen. (2024, September 9). Food consumption associated with the risk of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes. EASD Annual Meeting, Madrid, Spain.