Introducing high amounts of gluten into a babys diet could prevent the development of celiac disease, suggests a new study.

The strategy could have implications for other autoimmune diseases, suggests the research team led by Kings College London (KCL); however, additional studies would be required before it could be put to practice.

This was a secondary analysis from the Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study, a randomized trial of the early introduction of allergenic solids into a baby’s diet. Nearly half of 1004 babies from England and Wales were given 4g of wheat-protein per week when they were 4 to 6 months of age. This was equivalent to a gluten dose of about 3.2 g/week or 500 mg/d. About 96.8% of these babies were also being breastfed until 6 months of age. Among children who were first introduced to gluten after 6 months, the prevalence of celiac disease at 3 years of age was 1.4% (seven children). However, there were no cases of celiac disease among those introduced to gluten from the age of 4 months.

Source: JAMA Paediatrics, Oct 2020