# Were your T1 children breast or bottle fed?



## Tina63 (Jan 11, 2012)

I am constantly wondering why/what/how was it that my child developed T1.  I often wonder 'Could it have been this, or that, or whatever'.  

I just wondered if there was anything in how babies were fed.  I fully breastfed my son for his first 4 months.  His sister (who is 5 years older and non-D) I only managed to feed for 6 weeks, and for most of those 6 weeks I part bottle fed too.

I just keep wondering with it being an auto-immune disease whether I could have passed any negative antibodies on to him through breastfeeding.  Though we have no history of T1 in our family, we do have various auto-immune diseases, so just wondered if there could be any connection.....!


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## cherrypie (Jan 11, 2012)

Hi Tina,

Dan Hurley, a Type 1 diabetic and journalist wrote a book, "Diabetes Rising" and he puts forward five hypotheses for the increased levels of Type1. in children

1.  Rapid growth in some babies.
2.  Too little sun. (The VitD connection).
3.  Too clean.  (Modern day cleaning routines).
4.  Too much cow's milk.
5.  Too much pollution.
http://health.usnews.com/health-new...ay-explain-why-type-1-diabetes-is-on-the-rise


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## Robster65 (Jan 11, 2012)

I think I was bottle-fed.

And was born in 1965, diagnosed in 1978, so modern anti-bacterials, etc weren't around then as they are now. Bleach was about it I would have thought and I was a mucky little tyke, as I am now.

I was also always outside and we had the long hot summer of 1976 just before diagnosis, so I would have ust put it down to genetics.

In modern times, more people have been given the opportunity to survive into adulthood and have children, thus passing their faulty genes on, rather than 'surviving' into maybe their twenties without havign children. So I would have thought the genes responsible must be more prolific since we are all (me included) keeping them in the gene pool instead of becoming extinct. Add to that, random mutation, which will always happen and you have more and more variety. We may take over the world one day ! 

Rob


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## Copepod (Jan 11, 2012)

Some genetic changes arise spontaneously - ie they are not inherited from parents. 

Most genetic predispositions to eg type 1 diabetes are just that, predispositions, so it's a combination of predisposition AND an environmental influence, as in Dan Hurley's list, but it's probably not a complete list (infection is sometimes considered a possible prompt for developing T1D, plus changing patterns of antibiotic prescriptions may be a factor), nor does it comment on which influences may have relatively more or less effect, nor how they act together. In some cases, avoiding an influence might reduce chances of getting type 1 diabetes and / or delay onset. 

While more research is needed, recall bias / unavailability of some mothers (or fathers in some families) makes it difficult to consider all factors properly eg I didn't buy many cleaning products when I was born in 1965, so a researcher would have to ask my mother, who is still around, but many mothers of babies born in 1965 are no longer able to comment on their habits of buying & using cleaning products in mid 1960s. National statistics of sales of cleaning products can only give averages for whole nation, without considering differences between households, although it is clear that overall use is higher now that in 1960s, but still there is a huge variation in how families / households with children use cleaning products.


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## cherrypie (Jan 11, 2012)

Dan Hurley is commenting about the recent rise in Type1 and not the established Type1's. and his hypotheses are just that, hypotheses.


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## Copepod (Jan 11, 2012)

Yes, but even a rise in incidence (starts of conditions) recognises a trend, and relies on knowing previous rates of incidence. Prevalence is total number of people with a condition in a given population - ie all people with type 1 diabetes at a given time.

Going back to prior to 1922, incidence of type 1 diabetes was probably lower than now, but prevalence certainly was, as no-one survived very long after diagnois until insulin became available.


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## CarolK (Jan 11, 2012)

Hi Tina, I am exactly the same, always wondering WHY? was it something I did, and I actually wondered whether it was because I DIDNT breastfeed , which I did with my others.
I always had a niggling doubt that it may have had something to do with the fact that my son was contstantly on antibiotics  from when he was about 8 months old. They didnt seem to mind prescribing them all the time then, but who knows for sure. I think that as mums you just feel the guilt about everything.


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## Tina63 (Jan 11, 2012)

Very interesting replies, thanks.  Re the list, my son did put weight on rapidly.

My daughter was born first, I struggled with breastfeeding (sorry boys!) and very quickly added supplementary bottles as she wasn't gaining weight.  She quickly rejected the breast as she found bottles easier - she doesn't have T1.

My son, well though I felt I still struggled with breastfeeding, each week the midwife/health visitor saw him I mentioned how hard I was finding it and each time the response was "Don't give up, let's see what the scales say."  EVERY week for the first 6 weeks of his life he put 1lb on!  He started at 7lb 14oz (2 weeks early) so by 6 weeks old weighed a stone!  And there was I worrying about not feeding properly.  And yes, he still overeats now!

Cleaning - well - not great on that front I'm afraid.  Not disgusting, don't get me wrong, but I am certainly not fanatical about it and never have been.  We have had pet mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, a cat, fish etc, and the children always handled them and probably more often than not did not use soap when washing hands etc (though of course available).

My daughter had quite a few antibiotics as a youngster, a serious UTI as a baby, repeated ear infections, then tonsillitis as she got older, but my son, apart from a chest infection that went on a bit and needed 3 lots of antibiotics at about 4 months old, hardly ever saw the doctor!  To this day he won't take a single painkiller or anything to take a temperature down, he just won't.  He has always let his body deal with whatever.

They both played outside a lot, bug hunting being a big favourite, so were exposed to plenty of mucky stuff which I believe really does help build up immunity.  We went to toddler groups when they were little so got exposed to germs that way.  I certainly didn't keep them wrapped up in cotton wool.

It really does intrigue me.  My daughter has taken part in some research thing, which required a sample of saliva.  My son gets mad if I discuss the possibility of him/us taking part in any research so he is unaware of this and we haven't been able to take part in any family research because of his reluctance.  Shame really, but I'm not going to push it.  

I could so get my teeth into this research lark!


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## Robster65 (Jan 11, 2012)

I think it's natural for parents to blame themselves for any illness their child gets. But as the list Cherrypie posted, and the strong genetic factors (and other environmental factors) show, you certainly weren't ever going to prevent it happening, even if you could have delayed it by a year or two.

My parents felt guilty but I've never seen it as any more than having the wrong sequence of genes and inheriting a rather annoying condition.

But there's some real nasty ones out there, so I'm not unhappy with the outcome. I just wish it was made a bit easier to manage at times.

I'd love to take part in research too. Neither of my parents, nor my brother have diabetes and my daughter, now 24, has no sign of it. So it should be fairly simple to weed out the differences. They'd need to account for the rugged good looks and super intelligence of course, but what's left might point to the auto-immune duff ones. 

Rob


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## Copepod (Jan 11, 2012)

That's assuming that rugged good looks & superior intelligence are associated with auto immune problems on a population basis, not just in your family, Robster!


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## trophywench (Jan 11, 2012)

Low birth weight was a theory in 1972 - I had to find out from Mom how heavy I was - roughly 6.5 lbs apparently, the hosp doc in 1972 said 'normal then' and my mum soon put him right - 'No it wasn't - most babies in 1950 were nearer 8.5lbs, the same as her sister was in 1946'  LOL

Later I read several articles (in Balance I think? - what else would I have read re diabetes, before the internet?) about people having bad gastric upsets prior to Dx.  That's interesting cos I had - in the Spring before I had D symptoms and was Dx in the July.

No diabetes in our family.  So dad, what did your mother die of? - "Dunno I was 11 - was always told it was heart trouble."  And God knows what my great-grandparents died of.

My older sister was Dx T2 a few years ago.

Who knows?


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## Robster65 (Jan 11, 2012)

The difficulty with a combination of genetic factors is obviously which combos give you which nasty outcome.

Unless you screen a large sample of completely healthy folks and then T1 diabetics with nothing else wrong, you won't be able to tell which genes are the core combination for T1. I would imagine T2 has an even worse spread of combinations.

I had chicken-pox (I think) just before symptoms appeared but don't recall any gastric upsets. The theory then was rogue auto-immune from a viral attack.

Rob


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## Tina63 (Jan 11, 2012)

My son wasn't a typical T1 onset, though nothing has ever been made of this by the professionals.  He did have a bad stomach upset about 3 weeks prior to diagnosis, but he had all the T1 symptoms a good while before that.  He was seriously overweight before, and stones fell off him.  I often wonder if his body coped longer as he had way more fat than most to 'live off' for a few weeks.  I tried and tried to get him to see a doctor, but he wouldn't entertain the idea.

He had this stomach upset early in December though, and looking back I think he was on the brink of DKA then but somehow clawed his way back.  He vomited almost non-stop for about 8 hours, then apart from drinking and going to the loo, slept and slept and slept.  It was very hard to rouse him, and on more than one occasion I considered ringing the doctor, but of course home visits are pretty much a thing of the past.  He slept for around 36 hours, then got up, fancied eating, drank gallons of Coke, then brought the whole lot back up again.  It took another 48 hours before he wanted to eat more than a dry piece of toast.

Eventually, after about 5 days he slowly got better, but drank and drank and drank.  It took until family saw him at Christmas and were shocked by his appearance that we finally got through to him that he was ill.  The rest is history!


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## Monica (Jan 11, 2012)

Carol is the only one in my family too. But as jenny says, how do we know what our ancestors died of??

Carol was bottlefed (not my  first choice). She didn't get cow's milk until after she was 1 year old, Fi was breastfed for 3 months and drank cow's milk from about 11 months onwards.

Carol always had a delicate tummy. Whenever she went to grandma's for dinner, she was sick that evening (every week). We told grandma not to give her so many sweets and biscuits, to no avail. So of course when Carol was diagnosed, she thought we blamed her (we didn't)


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## Ruth Goode (Jan 13, 2012)

I understand how you feel.  I breastfed Carly for 23 months and decided enough is enough and she became very ill that very week and was dx type 1, I blamed myself too and still think I gave her type 1 because Im a coelaic but there is no evidence why she got type 1.


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## MeanMom (Jan 13, 2012)

cherrypie said:


> Hi Tina,
> 
> Dan Hurley, a Type 1 diabetic and journalist wrote a book, "Diabetes Rising" and he puts forward five hypotheses for the increased levels of Type1. in children
> 
> ...



I have seen these 'causes' before and they do make me scratch my head. None apply to K except perhaps the 'polution' one - we lived in town til she was 8 months old and I did push her pram down busy streets everyday - but we also went to the park most days too. From 8 months we live in the suburbs but right next to a large common - not country side but also not middle of big city. 

K had no stomach upset prior to Dx - she kept having sore throats and her tonsils were a right state - but only had antibiotics about 3 or 4 times in as many years - much less than me and I dont have Diabeties. 

In fact I've just realised I have many more of the 'risk factors' than 'K' - most in fact  I think they need to re think the research - I certainly don't believe the link to having cows milk too early - K had no dairy at all til she was a year old.


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## Northerner (Jan 13, 2012)

How about this for a possible 'cause'? 

http://diabetespoetry.blogspot.com/2009/08/dont-smoke-sheep.html


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## MeanMom (Jan 13, 2012)

Well there you go North.- im vegetarian!


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## Tina63 (Jan 14, 2012)

Haha Northerner - love it!


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## SusieJ (Jan 14, 2012)

Wow this is a really interesting thread, Im new here but for what its worth my son M ticks 3 of Dan Hurley's boxes, he too put on masses of weight very quickly and continued (er...continues) to have a voracious appetite, he was breast fed until he was 14 months but because I couldnt keep up with his appetite I started him on solids early (a decision I have always regretted but Im not going to beat myself up about it now ) 

It would be fascinating to discover the 'why' but of course unless we know why we cant do anything to prevent it other than our best which Im sure we all have.
BTW smoked mutton has never passed my lips


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## fencesitter (Jan 18, 2012)

Interesting thread! William was breast/bottle fed and started on solids early, due to my desperation and his misery ... He was 9lbs 6oz at birth  2 weeks overdue and seemed as big as a toddler to me! We have T1 in our family (both my mum's siblings). Also loads of different autoimmune disorders. About a year before his diagnosis he had a really horrible time with strep throat on a school trip to France, which progressed to scarlet fever!! I often wonder if that was the viral trigger that people talk about. My daughter (aged nearly 12, non diabetic) is taking part in a study called D-Gap, and will be giving some blood samples in February. She will have the chance to find out whether she has certain antibodies that might make her more susceptible to T1 (that's optional - it's not the aim of the study). The whole family gave DNA samples (just involved scraping inside of mouth), but Susanna is the only one doing the next stage. Obviously she hopes she won't have any of these antibodies, but even if she does it's by no means a given that she will go on to develop T1.


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## fencesitter (Jan 18, 2012)

Me again
Thought you'd be interested in a bit more detail on that study. It is to find out more about certain antibodies that they think are present when the immune system sees insulin producing cells as 'foreign' (ie. the beta cell attacking thing that happens with T1). There are four different antibodies, and the researchers think they are more likely to be there in people who have T1. They also think they could be present in someone who doesn't have T1 yet, so they could be a sort of indicator.
By the way, still planning to go to the Oxford meeting and really looking forward to it.


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## margie (Jan 18, 2012)

I was breast fed, one sibling was breast fed a couple of day but then Mum got an infection and was bottle fed, the others were bottle fed. I am the only one with diabetes.


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