Lower consumption of cow milk protein A1 beta-casein at 2 years of age, rather than consumption among 11- to 14-year-old adolescents, may explain the lower incidence of type 1 diabetes in Iceland than in Scandinavia

• Published in: Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism
• Main Authors: Birgisdottir, B E, Hill, J P, Thorsson, A V, Thorsdottir, I
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Karger 2006
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Factors; Animals; Caseins; Cattle; Child; Preschool; Comparative Study; Dairy Products; Diabetes Mellitus; Type 1; Diet Surveys; Female; Health Surveys; Humans; Iceland/epidemiology; Incidence; Male; Research Support; Non-U.S. Gov't; Scandinavia/epidemiology; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/6444; https://doi.org/10.1159/000090738

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field AIM: To compare the consumption of the cow milk proteins A1 and B beta-casein among children and adolescents in Iceland and Scandinavia (Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland) as this might explain the lower incidence of type 1 diabetes (per 100,000/year, 0-14 years) in Iceland. METHODS: The consumption of A1 beta-casein in each country among 2- and 11- to 14-year-old children was calculated from results on food intake and on cow milk protein concentration. The consumption values were then compared and evaluated against the incidence of type 1 diabetes. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the consumption of A1 (p = 0.034) as well as the sum of A1 and B (p = 0.021) beta-casein in Iceland and Scandinavia for 2-year-old children. In the same age group, consumption of A1 beta-casein correlated with the incidence of type 1 diabetes in the countries (r = 0.9; p = 0.037). No significant difference in consumption of A1 or the sum of A1 and B beta-casein was found for 11- to 14-year-old adolescents. CONCLUSION: This study supports that lower consumption of A1 beta-casein might be related to the lower incidence of type 1 diabetes in Iceland than in Scandinavia. Additionally it indicates that consumption in young childhood might be of more importance for the development of the disease incidence than consumption in adolescence.