Intake of antioxidant vitamins and trace elements during pregnancy and risk of advanced [beta] cell autoimmunity in the child

Type 1 diabetes may have its origins in the fetal period of life. Free radicals were implicated in the cause of type 1 diabetes. It was hypothesized that antioxidant nutrients could protect against type 1 diabetes. We assessed whether high maternal intake of selected dietary antioxidants during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of advanced β cell autoimmunity in the child, defined as repeated positivity for islet cell antibodies plus ≥1 other antibody, overt type 1 diabetes, or both. The study was carried out as part of the population-based birth cohort of the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Project. The data comprised 4297 children with increased genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes, born at the University Hospital of Oulu or Tampere, Finland, between October 1997 and December 2002. The children were monitored for diabetes-associated autoantibodies from samples obtained at 3-12-mo intervals. Maternal antioxidant intake during pregnancy was assessed postnatally with a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire, which contained a question about consumption of dietary supplements. Maternal intake of none of the studied antioxidant nutrients showed association with the risk of advanced β cell autoimmunity in the child. The hazard ratios, indicating the change in risk per a 2-fold increase in the intake of each antioxidant, were nonsignificant and close to 1. High maternal intake of retinol, β-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, or manganese does not protect the child from development of advanced β cell autoimmunity in early childhood.