Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Diasease: Genetically Linked

Filed in archive Research on December 14, 2008

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Rafal Zdeb

Type 1 diabetes is the condition wherein the body doesn't produce enough insulin to convert blood sugar into energy for the cells. On the other hand, Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People affected by Celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

Both are inflammatory disoders that now has been found to be genetically linked.

"Our results spotlight that much more research needs to go into investigating the environmental factors involved," said study senior author John Todd, of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

"Additionally, research investigating whether there are benefits for type 1 diabetics knowing they are positive for celiac is important. There needs to be clinical research to see if this information could help them."

The findings suggest that the two may orginate from the same underlying mechanism. What does this mean? it could be that research for treatments are in the same field.