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Subject:
From:
Judy Ritchie <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 4 Jan 2003 20:30:22 -0800
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http://www.celiac.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=381&p_catid
=38&sid=91hH9H0l2AGu0L1-25103419393.1b


Breast Feeding and Celiac Disease

This article comes to us from Karoly Horvath, M.D., [log in to unmask]
who is one of the two directors of the celiac center at University of
Maryland in Baltimore.
Breast milk contains antibodies against all the antigens the mother's
immune system has met prior to or during the pregnancy and has produced
antibodies to them.
This system is the wisdom of nature and this is the way that mother's
milk protects babies from all the antigens (infectious agents, toxins
etc.) occurring in the environment where the mother lives. These
antigens without this protection may enter the body through the
digestive or respiratory systems. The best example is that breast milk
protects babies from bacteria causing diarrheas in the underdeveloped
countries.
The antibodies are produced by the cells (plasma cells) localized in the
gut and the lung. These cells are migrating to the lactating
breast-tissue for hormonal trigger (enteromammal plasma cell circle) and
they continue producing these antibodies in the breast. These antibodies
appear in the breast milk. In brief, the breast milk may contain all the
antibodies the mother has in her digestive and respiratory systems. The
function of these antibodies is to block the entrance of antigens
infectious agents, toxins, allergens etc) across the digestive or
respiratory tract of babies.
In case of CD, it means that if the mother has circulating antibodies to
gliadin, these antibodies appear in the milk. If the breast fed baby
ingests gliadin (or the mother ingests accidentally and traces of
gliadin appear in the milk) the antibodies in the milk blocks the
gliadin and it will not able to cross the intestinal wall and meet with
the baby's immunosystem. Theoretically, the breast-fed infant do not
have any immunoreaction to gliadin. If the mother accidentally ingests
gliadin during breast feeding it is likely that the concentration of
antigliadin antibodies become higher in the breast milk.
To answer the question: the antibodies in breast milk are protective and
do not "trigger" celiac disease in genetically predisposed babies. There
are several data showing that breast-feeding has a protective effect in
case of celiac disease. Furthermore, it is well documented that
breast-feeding in the first year of life decreases the risk of allergies
by 50% in babies whose parents have allergies.
As far as the reaction after weaning concerned: it is also known that
babies may have some reaction (loose stool or spit up or discomfort)
transiently after introducing a new food, however, this is a temporary
symptom and not allergy or immunoreaction to the food. It is likely that
their digestive system should accommodate to the new foods.

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