Cow's Milk and Type 1 Diabetes

In this study, infants were weaned to a cow's milk based formula. Antibodies to a variety of components in cows milk were tested for at age 3 months and 18 months. These children were then followed for the next 7 years. The authors concluded:

"An enhanced humoral immune response to various CM proteins in infancy is seen in a subgroup of those children who later progress to T1D (type 1 diabetes). Accordingly, a dysregulated immune response to oral antigens is an early event in the pathogenesis of T1D."

This means that when the immune system reacted to cow's milk early, it eventually reacted to the pancreas and caused type 1 diabetes.

Again, many of you are having your infants avoid any form of cow's milk until after age 1. This is the formal recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics. But we need to think about these results intelligently and ask some questions.

If an infant is exposed to cows milk too early, he may initiate an aberrant immune response. This is fair enough. An obvious follow up question is; if a child is born with or develops a less than ideal immune system, will he mount an immune response to cow's milk later in life.... even if he isn't exposed until age 2 or age 3?

We don't know the answer yet but here's what we do know.
1. Many infants are born with poor immune function. When we eventually do a series on prenatal care, I'll elaborate.

2. Many kids have poor immune function. 75% of Amercians have low vitamin D levels. Kids are no exception. Vitamin D modulates the immune response. That would mean that at least 75% of kids have a less than ideal immune system. It may be overly aggressive to say "immune compromised" as that usually implies some sort of active disease process. But let's call it what it is... an immune system running on fumes.

3. Kids are already sicker than ever with asthma rates, autism rates, obesity rates on the rise. The constant intake of sugary snacks and junk foods only makes things worse.

Given THAT kind of immune system, does later exposure of cow's milk also lead to an immune response? Perhaps it won't lead to type 1 diabetes in all kids, but does an angry immune system cause other problems besides type 1 diabetes?