January 24, 2009
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA:
My eight-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 in September 2008. Like any other parent in a similar situation, I have been wondering about the possible reasons for her diagnosis when no other family member has diabetes. Right after my daughter was born, my mother-in-law dabbed some honey on my daughter’s tongue, a customary thing, even before she was given to me for the first feeding. I don’t know if that explains why my daughter had a high white blood cell count within an hour of birth and was kept in the ICU for 10 days on antibiotics. She came home healthy and never had an issue because of that. After nine years, she tested positive for type 1 diabetes and when I read more and more about the disease, I wondered if it could have been because of the honey. Though I understand that no reason can be stated for sure, I’d definitely like to know if this practice should be avoided as I find many of my relatives doing the same in the name of cultural beliefs.
Answer:
Honey doesn’t do much of anything in such small amounts unless is has high bacterial contamination, which is also rather unlikely. It certainly did not cause the neonatal problems you described and is not at all related to your child developing diabetes so many years later. In fact, it is not so uncommon for a child to develop diabetes and not have other family relatives with diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a genetically determined condition but it requires exposure to something else in the environment – exactly what is not well known. It could be common viruses, for instance. Another theory, it that it could be related to early exposure to wheat/gluten/gliadin.
SB
