Diabetes-Type 1,...prevention by breastfeeding and excluding intact foreign food proteins in formula.
Study looking to prevent diabetes in newborns still recruiting participants - International group of researchers meets in Toronto this weekend
TORONTO, Jan. 30 /CNW/ - Representatives from across Canada, the US and
Europe are meeting this weekend at the Marriott Yorkville to analyze the
status of an important study looking at preventing Type 1 diabetes in
newborns. The Trial to Reduce Insulin-Dependent Diabetes in the Genetically at
Risk (TRIGR) is the largest pediatric trial ever conducted in Canada and one
of the largest such trials in the world. TRIGR recruits expectant parents
whose unborn children are at risk of developing Type 1 diabetes, also called
juvenile or insulin dependent diabetes.
"For many years, diabetes specialists and researchers have questioned
whether the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes is related to infant feeding
practices. This study will answer that question. A positive answer would
promise significant decrease of diabetes risk," said Dr John Dupré, of the
Robarts Research Institute and Coordinator of TRIGR Canada.
Approximately 6,000 families who have a history of Type 1 diabetes and
are expecting a baby will be recruited for this study. After birth, mothers
are encouraged and supported to employ exclusive breast feeding. When the
mothers can no longer provide all feedings, babies are weaned from exclusive
breastfeeding and receive infant formulas that contain no, or a reduced amount
of, intact foreign food proteins typically found in baby formulas.
"This strategy has prevented diabetes in all animal models of the
disease, and a positive trend was observed in a nationwide pilot study in
Finland," said Dr. Michael Dosch, a senior scientist at The Hospital For Sick
Children in Toronto and one of the TRIGR founders. TRIGR will enroll babies
from across 17 countries. Recruitment, which started in 2002, will span three
years, with follow-up for 10 years.
Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in children, is due to abnormal
autoimmunity that destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin is
an essential hormone that regulates energy production from sugar and fat.
Approximately 200,000 Canadians have Type I diabetes and require daily insulin
injections. Type 1 diabetes hardens small blood vessels and is the leading
cause of blindness, heart and kidney disease, stroke and loss of limbs.
"This international effort will investigate potential environmental
factors that affect people at risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. Regardless
of the study's outcome, the collaborations fostered in this study should prove
immensely valuable in future efforts to prevent Type 1 diabetes," said
Isabelle Schmidt of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Over 40 centres in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia are
involved in TRIGR. The coordinating centre for this international study is in
Finland, led by Dr. Hans K. Akerblom. The 14 Canadian centres involved in the
trials are: Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax/PEI, London, Montreal, Ottawa/Kingston,
Quebec City, Saint John, St. John's, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg/Saskatoon.
The national study is led by Dr. John Dupré (Robarts Research Institute) with
Dr. Michael Dosch (The Hospital for Sick Children), Dr. William Fraser
(Université Laval), Dr. Margaret Lawson (Children's Hospital of Eastern
Ontario), Dr. Jeffery Mahon (University of Western Ontario) and Dr. Shayne P.
Taback (University of Manitoba), and an additional 34 Canadian investigators
at the clinical centres.
The total budget for this 10-year study will exceed $50 million of which
the Canadian component includes $10 million from CIHR.
For more information on enrolling in TRIGR, call 1-888-STOP-T1D
or visit the TRIGR Web site at www.trigr.org. |
