Moms Veggie Intake Decreases Kids Diabetes Risk

GOTHENBURG, SwedenExpectant mothers who eat vegetables every day seem to have children who are less likely to develop type 1 diabetes, according to a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy that was published in the journal Pediatric Diabetes.

"This is the first study to show a link between vegetable intake during pregnancy and the risk of the child subsequently developing type 1 diabetes, but more studies of various kinds will be needed before we can say anything definitive," said researcher and clinical nutritionist Hilde Brekke.

Blood samples from almost 6,000 5-year olds were analyzed in the study. Of the 6,000 children tested, 3 percent had either elevated levels of these antibodies or fully developed type 1 diabetes at the age of five. These risk markers were up to twice as common in children whose mothers rarely ate vegetables during pregnancy. The risk was lowest among children whose mothers stated that they ate vegetables every day.

"We cannot say with certainty on the basis of this study that it's the vegetables themselves that have this protective effect, but other factors related to vegetable intake, such as the mother's standard of education, do not seem to explain the link," Brekke said. "Nor can this protection be explained by other measured dietary factors or other known risk factors."