Research continues to indicate a link between Type I diabetes and bovine-milk consumption in infancy. Here's a recent report from Science News (1999;155(26):404-5):
Milk-Diabetes link? Yes:
http://www.diabetes.com/news_archive/news-1165.html
Milk-Diabetes link? Yes:
http://www.diabetes.com/news/news_980526.html
Milk-Diabetes link? Yes:
http://www.diabetes.com/news_archive/news-189.html
Milk-Diabetes link? No:
http://www.diabetes.com/health_library/features/fst1076.html
It should be noted that that study, which throws cold water on the Type-I/milk connection, was sponsored by the National Fluid Milk Processors. Here are a couple relevant studies I found via Medline:
ABSTRACT: Exposure to cow milk (CM)-based formulas in
early infancy has been associated with an increased risk
of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but studies
on the possible pathogenic mechanism(s) linking CM and
IDDM are contradicting. We hypothesized that if CM formulas
contained bovine insulin (BI), exposure to them could lead
to immunization against insulin, which is the only known
beta-cell- specific autoantigen in IDDM. We measured
immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies by enzyme immunoassay
(EIA) to BI and human insulin (HI) in children who received,
during the first 9 months of life, either a formula containing
whole CM proteins or a formula containing hydrolyzed casein
(HC) peptides. BI was detectable by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and
immunoblotting in the CM-based formula. At 6 months of age
the children who received CM formula had higher levels of
IgG antibodies to BI than children who received either HC
formula or children who were exclusively breast-fed (median
levels 0.480 versus 0.185, P = 0.04; and 0.480 versus 0.160,
P = 0.04; respectively). Also, at 9 months of age, children
in the CM group differed from the HC group (0.403 versus
0.230; P = 0.02). Antibodies to BI and HI showed a positive
correlation and cross-reacted in inhibition studies. The
high incidence of insulin- binding antibodies in young
children with IDDM may be explained by oral immunization
to BI present in CM. Exposure to BI, which differs from
HI only by three amino acids, may break the tolerance to
insulin.
ABSTRACT: Previously published Type I (insulin-dependent)
diabetes mellitus incidence in 0 to 14-year-old children
from 10 countries or areas was compared with the national
annual cow milk protein consumption. Countries which were
selected for study had appropriate milk protein polymorphism
studies, herd breed composition information and low dairy
imports from other countries. Total protein consumption did
not correlate with diabetes incidence (r = +0.402), but
consumption of the beta-casein A1 variant did (r = +0.726).
Even more pronounced was the relationbetween beta-casein
(A1+B) consumption and diabetes (r = +0.982). These latter
two cow caseins yield a bioactive peptide beta- casomorphin-7
after in vitro digestion with intestinal enzymes whereas the
common A2 variant or the corresponding human or goat caseins
do not. beta-casomorphin-7 has opioid properties including
immunosuppression, which could account for the specificity
of the relation between the consumption of some but not
all beta-casein variants and diabetes incidence.
Cow's milk: New link to diabetes?
Some people with insulin-dependent diabetes mount an immune response to the protein beta casein, which makes up 35 percent of the total protein in cow's milk.