
October 28, 2001
Research: Causes and Prevention
Question from Santa Rosa, California, USA:
I have read that the worldwide incidence of juvenile diabetes is highest in Finland and that the milk consumption is highest there also which made me begin to think about iron deficiency as being a part of the problem.
Answer:
Whilst iron deficiency has been associated with related disorders such as autoimmune gastritis in one study (see the abstract), there is however no evidence in the medical literature that this has a role in the diagnosis, management or search for a cure in type 1A (autoimmune) diabetes, although it may occur incidentally as a clinical finding. The prospects of a cure now center around the use of various surrogate insulin producing cells and their immune protection by encapsulation, by monoclonal antibodies and by chimera formation to avoid lifetime immunosuppression.
DOB