Some people are more at risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Also, risk factors favor its appearance.
Discover them here.
Type 1 diabetes: people at risk
People with a hereditary predisposition (a family history). When a close relative has type 1 diabetes (father, mother, brother or sister), the risk of also having it varies between 5% and 10%. In identical twins, when one of the two is affected, the other develops the disease in 30% to 50% of cases 1 .
As epidemiological studies indicate, type 1 diabetes is more common in populations living far from the equator. Thus, in Finland, the disease is 2 to 3 times more frequent than in the United States, and 400 times more than in Venezuela . An insufficient intake of vitamin D, the production of which depends on exposure to the sun, could partly explain this phenomenon.
type 1 diabetes: risk factors
There is no established risk factor. Here are some assumptions.
Cow milk
Early consumption of cow’s milk in infants may contribute to the onset of allergies and type 1 diabetes in children with a family history of diabetes3.
Public health authorities also advise not to give cow’s milk to newborns before the age of 12 months. Type 1 diabetes is rarer in individuals who have been breastfed.
Early introduction of cereals
Too early introduction of cereals (before the age of 4 months) could contribute to the disease; do not give it to the baby before the age of 6 months.
Respect the recommended age for introducing food to a baby.
Viral infection
An infection with Epstein-Barr virus, Coxsackie virus or cytomegalovirus, for example, could trigger the autoimmune reaction against the pancreas.
