Daily Intake of Milk Powder and Risk of Celiac Disease in Early Childhood: A Nested Case-Control Study

Abstract

Milk powder and gluten are common components in Swedish infants’ diets. Whereas large intakes of gluten early in life increases the risk of celiac disease in genetically at-risk Swedish children, no study has yet evaluated if intake of milk powder by 2 years of age is associated with celiac disease. A 1-to-3 nested case-control study, comprised of 207 celiac disease children and 621 controls matched for sex, birth year, and HLA genotype, was performed on a birth cohort of HLA-DR3-DQ2 and/or DR4-DQ8-positive children. Subjects were screened annually for celiac disease using tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (tTGA). Three-day food records estimated the mean intake of milk powder at ages 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months. Conditional logistic regression calculated odds ratios (OR) at last intake prior to seroconversion of tTGA positivity, and for each time-point respectively and adjusted for having a first-degree relative with celiac disease and gluten intake. Intake of milk powder prior to seroconversion of tTGA positivity was not associated with celiac disease (OR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.99, 1.03; p = 0.763). In conclusion, intake of milk powder in early childhood is not associated with celiac disease in genetically susceptible children.

<p>Potential risk factors for celiac disease in childhood: a case-control epidemiological survey</p>

“…Likewise, the aOR for the milk quantity variable provides no support for the authors’ preliminary hypothesis that increased consumption of cow’s milk may increase CD risk. A recent study that examined the impact of the quantity of powdered milk consumed on subsequent CD diagnosis in young children in Sweden found no association between quantity of powdered milk consumed and CD 116. Thus, while the studies are different with respect to the specifics, the result for the fluid milk quantity variable in the present study is consistent with the findings on powdered milk from this recent Swedish study.…”

Associations of dietary patterns between age 9 and 24 months with risk of celiac disease autoimmunity and celiac disease among children at increased risk

“…The dietary pattern at age 9 mo associated with the lower risk of CDA was characterized by lower intakes of both Human milk as well as Infant formula. However, neither human milk nor formula type has previously been associated with celiac disease [ [35] , [36] , [37] ]. Some food groups were included in dietary patterns with conflicting associations with the study outcomes.…”

Different Clinical Features of Celiac Disease in Children, Adolescents, and Adults; a Cross-sectional Study

“… 19 , 20 , 22 A case-control study on milk powder consumption during the first two years of life in genetically susceptible children for CD showed that milk powder intake was not associated with CD in Swedish children. 24 Another case-control research found that CD was not statistically associated with the duration of breastfeeding, but was associated with skim milk consumption. 19 A randomized controlled trial showed that avoiding cow’s milk- based formula for infants at risk for CD does not reduce the development of disease.…”