Eye-opening microbiome research with implications for MC

[Zizzle]

Infants At-Risk of Celiac Disease May Benefit From Delayed Exposure to Gluten

http://somvweb.som.umaryland.edu/absolu ... dium=email

The main goal of the study was to analyze the bacterial composition, or the microbiome, of the intestines of infants with a genetic susceptibility to celiac disease. “We were surprised to find that the microbiome of these at-risk infants didn’t mature at the same rate as healthy infants previously studied,” says Fasano. “From the findings, we think that the microbial environment as a whole might play a part in the onset of celiac disease, and possibly in other autoimmune disorders,”

I am interested in knowing if they differentiated between C-section babies and those born vaginally, since we'd expect C-section kids to have less bacteriodetes from lack of exposure to the birth canal.

I'd also like to know if they were considered high risk because mom had celiac, versus dad, versus just DQ2 or 8 genes. If mom has active disease, it might explain why the kids get disease sooner than the previous generation --via colonization by altered flora at birth. That's not good news for my kids, who's bowel habits are beginning to match mine more each day. Sigh.

[MBombardier]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

[tex]

Of course, Dr. Fasano misses the point that those infants probably shouldn't be eating gluten at all, not just delaying it's introduction into their diet for 6 months, or whatever. Postponing the introduction doesn't prevent the development of autoimmune disease - it just delays it.

Tex

[Zizzle]

Just talked to my integrative medicine doctor about this study (he called me to see how I was doing, wow!). He said researchers in Europe have known about this for some time. I asked about the likelihood that I passed my "bad flora" along to my children during their trip through the birth canal. He said long-term breastfeeding (done), delaying gluten to 12 months or longer (done, except for that darn wheat starch in Cheerios!), following a low-gluten diet, and giving probiotics to my kids (10-25 Billion CFU/day) should be enough to undo any damage or prevent onset of celiac. He said kids have an amazing ability to heal and re-modulate??(can't remember the exact term). So as long as their genes have not been "turned on" yet, I have a good chance of preventing it.

With regard to my health, I told him the rheumy thinks I may have Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD), and that it may stay on this mild, chronic course forever. He said that’s great news. I also said the rheumy said many of his mild UCTD patients do MUCH better on the GF diet, but his patients with advanced autoimmune diseases don’t respond to the diet as well. He said that wasn’t surprising at all, since people with established diseases already had certain genes “turned on.” Once they turn on, they are very difficult to turn off. In my case, only my gluten sensitivity genes seem to be turned on so far, so I have a good chance to preventing any further “bad gene” activation by following the diet religiously. More evidence that a GF diet serves to prevent further diseases.