An extensive study has confirmed that the risk of developing coeliac disease is connected to the amount of gluten children consume. The new study is observational and therefore does not prove causation; however, it is the most comprehensive of its kind to date. The results are presented in the prestigious journal JAMA.
In total, 6 600 children at increased risk of developing coeliac disease were followed from birth until the age of five, in Sweden, Finland, Germany and the USA.
“Our study shows a clear association between the amount of gluten the children consumed and the risk of developing coeliac disease or pre-coeliac disease. This confirms our earlier findings from studies on Swedish children”, says Daniel Agardh, associate professor at Lund University and consultant at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, and leader of the study.
The previous findings were from a smaller pilot study in 2016 by the same research group. Only Swedish children took part in that study, and the follow-up time was shorter.
Read more at: Lund University
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