Abstract
Nutrition, especially wheat consumption, is a major factor involved in the onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and other autoimmune diseases such as celiac. While modern wheat cultivars possess similar gliadin proteins associated with the onset of celiac disease and T1D, alternative dietary wheat sources from Israeli landraces and native ancestral species may be lacking the epitopes linked with T1D, potentially reducing the incidence of T1D. The Non-Obese Diabetic (NOD) mouse model was used to monitor the effects of dietary wheat sources on the onset and development of T1D. The effects of modern wheat flour were compared with those from either T. aestivum, T. turgidum spp. dicoccoides, or T. turgidum spp. dicoccum landraces or a non-wheat diet. Animals which received wheat from local landraces or ancestral species such as emmer displayed a lower incidence of T1D and related complications compared to animals fed a modern wheat variety. This study is the first report of the diabetogenic properties of various dietary wheat sources and suggests that alternative dietary wheat sources may lack T1D linked epitopes, thus reducing the incidence of T1D.
Highlights
The incidence of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disease causing damage to the pancreatic beta cells, has doubled in the last decade [1]
This study is the first report of the diabetogenic properties of various ancestral dietary wheat sources
While in general wheat consumption has been linked to type 1 diabetes (T1D) [2,4,22,23], to the best of our knowledge there has never been an analysis of the effect of specific varieties of wheat on diabetogenesis
Summary
The incidence of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disease causing damage to the pancreatic beta cells, has doubled in the last decade [1]. A significant increase of T1D in Sweden was associated with radical changes of food habits including increased consumption of pasta, white bread, meat, cheese, low-fat milk, exotic fruits, soda, and wheat-based snacks [3]. Adverse health effects of cereal proteins [2,4,5], cow’s milk proteins [6,7], and low vitamin. D [4,7] on the onset of T1D have been demonstrated. Wheat is the main staple food after maize and rice, and it is not surprising that a number of studies have suggested dietary wheat to be diabetogenic in humans [4]. The diabetogenic effects of wheat have been demonstrated in Nutrients 2017, 9, 482; doi:10.3390/nu9050482 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
