Celicacos, how to prevent celiac disease in babies
Photo: THINKSTOCK Enlarge photoThe celiac disease or gluten intolerance It is one of the most common chronic intestinal diseases. Although the only treatment for celiac disease is still a gluten-free diet, recent studies have focused not so much on seeking treatment as on how prevent celiac disease in babies.
Currently, celiac disease is one of the diseases that occurs most commonly from an early age. The latest data indicate that currently more than 3 percent of young people are celiac and two thirds of these young people have not yet received a diagnosis or treatment. Therefore, primary prevention, that is, the prevention of celiac disease in babies, is an important first step in reducing these high rates.
A study from the University of Umea (Sweden) noted in this regard that the introduction of gluten-containing foods in babies can prevent celiac disease, which appears more frequently in the Nordic country, where it is estimated that approximately 150,000 people suffer from it.
The baby is not born celiac, it becomes celiac
Since the exact cause of the disease is unknown, it is sometimes mistakenly thought that there is no way to prevent a baby from having celiac disease in the future. However, the latest research suggests that no baby is born with the disease but are a series of genetic and environmental factors that ultimately determine the development of celiac disease.
- The genetic factor. Although celiac disease is not inherited, it is possible to inherit the risk of suffering from it. The father, the mother, or both can transmit to the baby the risk of having celiac disease through the genes, however, the genetic predisposition does not ensure that the child has the disease or can develop it at some time.
- The environmental factor. The baby may be genetically predisposed to suffer from the disease, but it is the environmental factor, specifically the consumption of gluten, which triggers celiac disease, which is why it is believed that its controlled introduction while breastfeeding could prevent it from manifesting later.
The importance of gluten in breastfeeding
The prevention of celiac disease in babies begins in breastfeeding. The first step focuses on a gradual introduction of gluten in the baby's diet from the first four months of age, a measure that can ensure that the immune system does not react in the future in the opposite way when it recognizes gluten in the body .
- Breast milk makes it possible. On repeated occasions, breast milk has been the protagonist due to its multiple positive effects for the baby. On this occasion, the introduction of gluten progressively in the baby's diet would be possible thanks precisely to breastfeeding. Breast milk carries lymphocytes that help the baby's immune system, helping to improve their defenses and exerting a protective effect that makes it possible for the baby to tolerate gluten.
In fact, according to some experts (Celiac Disease Working Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition), breastfeeding, thanks to its protective function, can reduce the risk of celiac disease by up to 60% provided that Gluten is introduced into the baby's diet after four months of age.
- The risk decreases. It is necessary to introduce gluten progressively during breastfeeding, thus, the risk of a baby developing celiac disease later is lower. The immune system recognizes gluten, assimilates it and allows the child's organism not to reject it in the future, functioning in a similar way to how a vaccine would work.
Patricia Núñez de Arenas
