Early feeding and risk of type 1 diabetes: experiences from the Trial to Reduce Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in the Genetically at Risk (TRIGR)

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Mikael Knip
  • Suvi M Virtanen
  • Dorothy Becker
  • John Dupré
  • Jeffrey P Krischer
  • Hans K Åkerblom
  • TRIGR Study Group
  • Mandrup-Poulsen, Thomas
Short-term breastfeeding and early exposure to complex dietary proteins, such as cow milk proteins and cereals, or to fruit, berries, and roots have been implicated as risk factors for ß cell autoimmunity, clinical type 1 diabetes, or both. The Trial to Reduce Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in the Genetically at Risk (TRIGR) is an international, randomized, double-blind, controlled intervention trial designed to answer the question of whether weaning to an extensively hydrolyzed formula in infancy will decrease the risk of type 1 diabetes later in childhood. In our pilot study, weaning to a highly hydrolyzed formula decreased by ˜ 50% the cumulative incidence of one or more diabetes-associated autoantibodies by a mean age of 4.7 y. This finding was confirmed in a recent follow-up analysis to 10 y of age. Currently, the full-scale TRIGR takes place in 77 centers in 15 countries. The TRIGR initially recruited 5606 newborn infants with a family member affected by type 1 diabetes and enrolled 2159 eligible subjects who carried a risk-conferring HLA genotype. All recruited mothers were encouraged to breastfeed. The intervention lasted for 6-8 mo with a minimum study formula exposure time of 2 mo, and hydrolyzed casein and standard cow milk-based weaning formulas were compared. Eighty percent of the participants were exposed to the study formula. The overall retention rate over the first 5 y was 87%, and protocol compliance was 94%. The randomization code will be opened when the last recruited child turns 10 y of age (ie, in 2017).
Original languageEnglish
JournalAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume94
Issue number6 Suppl
Pages (from-to)1814S-1820S
Number of pages7
ISSN0002-9165
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

    Research areas

  • Autoimmunity, Breast Feeding, Child, Child, Preschool, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Dietary Proteins, Double-Blind Method, Follow-Up Studies, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genotype, HLA Antigens, Humans, Incidence, Infant, Infant Formula, Infant, Newborn, Milk Proteins, Multicenter Studies as Topic, Pilot Projects, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Risk Factors, Weaning

ID: 38412770