Women who eat vegetables such as potatoes and turnips while pregnant may increase their child's risk of developing diabetes, according to a study on mice.

It has been thought that an environmental trigger plays a role in type 1 diabetes for some time, though a cause was not known.

Now, researchers have found that bafilomycin, a toxin found in some bacteria called streptomyces that infect vegetables such as potatoes, sugar beets, turnips and radishes, may be a trigger for type 1 diabetes in children who are genetically susceptible.

In the study, pregnant mice that ate tiny amounts of the toxin were far more likely to have babies that later developed type 1 diabetes.

The toxin, which cannot be destroyed through cooking, appeared to affect the development of the pancreas, which could cause type 1 diabetes in susceptible persons, according to researchers.

About five to 10 percent of people may have the gene that makes them susceptible to type 1 diabetes. Researchers also noted that regions where tuberous vegetables that may contain this toxin are commonly eaten have high rates of diabetes.

For instance, Finland, where potatoes are commonly eaten, and Sardinia, where people eat a lot of sugar beets, have the highest rates of diabetes in the world, researchers said.

It's estimated that 2 million children worldwide have type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes makes up 10 percent to 15 percent of all diabetes cases--type 2 diabetes is a different type that is triggered by lifestyle factors.

The Australian June 9, 2003

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Type 1 diabetes is a terribly tragic disease and my heart goes out to all those who are afflicted with it. Unlike the far more common type 2 diabetes, there is very little you can do to "cure" the disease. You just need to do the best you can with the imperfect tools that are currently available that seek to replicate the function of a human pancreas. So it would seem reasonably prudent to implement any suggestions that decrease the risk of type 1 diabetes. Since potatoes cause increased insulin levels in most people anyway, it would seem reasonably wise to restrict them from the diet as they may be contaminated with a toxin that could cause type 1 diabetes. Interestingly, low levels of vitamin D in pregnant women can also increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in their children. That is why taking cod liver oil during pregnancy is such a great idea. Drinking pasteurized cow's milk is also another nutritional variable that has been linked to an increase in type 1 diabetes. Related Articles: Vitamin D Lowers Risk of Type 1 Diabetes Cow's Milk May Raise Type 1 Diabetes Risk