I just came across a magazine article that stated that children who are born to parents in their late forties to early fifties are at a higher risk for developing Type 1 diabetes. Why is this?

You didn’t give a reference to the article, so I have not seen it. Assuming however that the conclusions are valid this might, I suppose, be an effect on genetic inheritance like Down’s Syndrome or it might be an environmental issue, perhaps the increased dependence on cow’s milk for infant nutrition in older mothers.

I contacted a diabetologist friend in Sardinia and such is the facility of the Internet, he confirmed that Type 1A Diabetes in the children is more common in older mothers. Specifically he gave a figure which applies only, I think, to his part of the world of it being 2.5 times more common in children of mothers aged 45 and over compared to mothers of 25. They had no real idea however as to why this should be.

DOB