Gluten-free diet dramatically affects boy with type 1 diabetes

A case report in British Medical Journal suggests that children with type 1 diabetes mellitus may benefit from a gluten free diet. Researchers reported that a 5 year-old boy diagnosed with typical type 1 diabetes mellitus followed a gluten free diet for up to 20 months without resorting to any insulin therapy and improved his diabetic condition drastically. The boy did not have celiac disease, which is often found in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Gluten free diets are often used by patients with celiac disease. The boy had 7.8% HbA1c, which is an indicator for the severity of diabetes mellitus, when starting use of the gluten free diet. The HbA1c was stabilized at 5.8 to 6.0 percent and fasting blood glucose was stabilized at 4.0 to 5.0 mmol/L, without insulin treatment, according to the authors. At 16 months after diagnosis without insulin therapy, the fasting blood glucose was maintained at 4.1 mmol/L and at 20 months, the boy still did not use insulin therapy.