Gluten-free Diet Brings Major Benefits to Youth with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease

Celiac.com 01/25/2023 - Studies that have tried to measure the effects of a gluten-free diet on the clinical, biochemical and psychological condition of youths with both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease have delivered mixed results.

A team of researchers recently set out to evaluate the impact of gluten-free diet on growth, metabolic control and quality of life in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. 

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The research team included Enza Mozzillo, Roberto Franceschi, Francesca Di Candia, Francesco Maria Rosanio, Letizia Leonardi, Ludovica Fedi, Valentina Rosà, Vittoria Cauvin, Adriana Franzese, and M. Loredana Marcovecchio. 

They are variously affiliated with theDepartment of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, Regional Center of Pediatric Diabetes, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy; the Department of Pediatrics, S. Chiara Hospital in Trento, Italy; the Pediatric Diabetology Unit, Pediatric Department, S. Chiara General Hospital inTrento, Italy; and the Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.

The team first performed a systematic search of studies published in the last 15 years. They used PICOS framework to inform the selection process, and assessed evidence using the GRADE system.

Their systematic review included only studies of moderate-high evidence quality level and reporting data on objectively assessed adherence to a gluten-free diet. 

Their findings highlight pre-adult adherence to a gluten-free diet in youth with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease leads to regular growth, stable BMI, without any negative effect on HbA1c and insulin requirements.

Their main finding was that patients who followed a gluten-free diet experienced regular growth without any adverse increase in BMI. Moreover, the gluten-free diet does not negatively affect HbA1c and insulin, but is associated with higher post-meal glucose levels. 

Evidence from several studies indicate that a gluten-free diet is associated with better lipid profile and major quality of life and the psychological condition of juveniles with both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. This study offers strong evidence that a gluten-free diet offers major benefits to juveniles with both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

Read more at Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.