Jan 23rd 2024
One More Reason to Breastfeed
. . . it prevents celiac disease Celiac disease is an extreme autoimmune response to gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut and triticale) resulting in degradation of the intestinal wall. This greatly impairs absorption of nutrients. Celiac disease now affects 1% of the population (its incidence has been growing rapidly) and has a genetic component. Spanish researchers studied 75 newborn babies over the first 4 months of life. They were classified according to genetic predisposition to celiac disease (high or low) and whether they were breastfed or bottle fed. The researchers found that among those genetically predisposed to get celiac disease, certain gut microflora tended to predominate; however microflora in those who were breastfed were more like the microflora found in the babies with a low genetic predisposition. In other words, although the babies will be followed to see who actually gets celiac disease, breastfeeding appeared to be protective against it. …
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