Bread-butter, bakery products, or wheat-based products are one of the favorites food of mums for their child’s breakfast. But there is some bad news for those mothers. A new study says munching continuously on pasta, bread, or baked items, during childhood could result in gluten-sensitivity later in life. So children who eat more gluten in early years are at a higher risk of coeliac disease. Gluten is a protein which is usually obtained from wheat. It is also present in bread, including other wheat products like pasta, breakfast cereals, biscuits, and cakes. Whereas, coeliac disease is a health condition which triggers a reaction to gluten. The health condition also results in an upset stomach, fatigue, or more severe coeliacs problem.
Scientists from Sweden’s Lund University, have carried out clinical research. During the trial, they have studied the eating habits of more than 6000 infants between 2004-2010. All of the 6,605 children, involved in the trial, had an inborn proneness for coeliac disease. Scientists have recorded the participant’s gluten intake every couple of months until they have reached the age of five. After taking the records, they compared those with healthy children in the same age group. As a result of the analysis, scientists have found that every one-gram rise in intake of the protein imposed a 7.2% increased risk of coeliac disease autoimmunity. Scientists noted in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) that one gram of gluten is equal to half a slice of white bread.
Experts say it is the initial sign of the body’s refusal to gluten. Even more, most of the cases have emerged between toddlers, i.e., aging 2-3 years old children. The study reveals around 18% of the children have developed coeliac disease auto-immunity after gluten consumption. Even more, the children had antibodies in their blood. Authors of the study note excessive gluten intake from birth to five years of life leads to a higher risk of coeliac disease. As this trial is an observational study, there lies a need for a large clinical trial to clear the picture.
