Contrasting Efforts: The Microbiome and Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

In the search for environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes (T1D), disease associations with the human gut microbiome are of great interest. Three studies of children at high genetic risk for T1D have examined associations between microbial taxa and the development of T1D autoimmunity: DIPP (Diabetes Prediction and Prevention), BABYDIET (Primary Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes in Relatives at Increased Genetic Risk), and DIABIMMUNE (Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes-Testing the Hygiene Hypothesis). These studies are herein examined for their findings, including areas for improvement and means to go beyond preliminary taxonomic associations for predicting functional influences by microbes. These studies serve as useful tools for guiding future research and deserve careful consideration.