Type 1 diabetes arises when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. What triggers this autoimmune reaction isn't clear. But new research indicates that children of women who experience stressful adverse life events appear to be prone to develop type 1 diabetes.
Results of a Swedish study, involving nearly 6000 children and their families, shows that mothers' experience of divorce or violence raised the risk of diabetes-related autoimmunity in children at age 2.5 years by roughly threefold. The research is published in the current issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
The thinking is that kids become stressed too, raising their level of the stress hormone cortisol, which may lead to insulin resistance.
Summary of the study available here.
1. How about Smoking?
Could that trigger a child's diabetes? We're expecting a child and my wife does smoke occassionally. (she's insulin dependent as well...)
Posted at 5:32AM on Oct 24th 2005 by Frank Conte