A team of Finnish researchers found that children who had a sibling with diabetes were more than five times as likely to develop the disease if they drank more than half a litre (about three glasses) of cow's milk a day, compared with children who drank less milk. The investigators looked at children who consumed cow's milk in the first year of life and followed up when children were age 3 to 19. The study findings were published in this month’s issue of Diabetes. It is not clear which component of cow's milk may increase risk of diabetes, but researchers suspect that one of several proteins may be to blame. The investigators believe it is possible that these proteins in milk affect the body’s immune system in a way that increases the chances of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is caused by an abnormal immune reaction that destroys the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. People with type 1 diabetes usually take life-long insulin injections to regulate their blood sugar.
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