PARENTS OF CHILDREN AT RISK OF DEVELOPING COELIAC DISEASE AND THE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE THEM NEED EVIDENCE-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BREASTFEEDING AND GLUTEN INTRODUCTION

摘要

Infants who have a biological parent or sibling with diagnosed coeliac disease (CD) have a 20% or more risk of developing CD themselves at some stage of their childhood or adulthood. Two 2012 systematic reviews report that the lowest risk of developing CD in these infants is associated with breastfeeding. Longer duration of breastfeeding was found to be associated with a significantly lower risk of developing CD in the first year of life (odds ratio 0.665; 95% confidence intervals 0.481-0.891) as well as delaying the age of onset for those who do develop CD. Conclusions stemming from these reviews are that small to moderate amounts of gluten should be introduced between four and six months of age, while the infant is still being breastfed. These recommendations are reflected in national guidelines for gluten introduction in the United States and many European countries.