Timing of 1st Gluten Not Linked to Celiac Risk

Children have the same risk of developing celiac disease regardless of when they start eating foods containing gluten, 2 new studies suggest. People with celiac disease have pain, diarrhea, gas and other symptoms if they eat grains and other foods containing gluten. Children may have growth problems. Babies in the new studies had high-risk genes or a family history of celiac disease. In one study, 900 babies were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group had small amounts of gluten added to their diets at age 16 weeks. The other group received a placebo. At age 24 weeks, parents were advised to gradually add gluten for both groups. By age 3, about 5.2% of the early-gluten group and 5.9% of the placebo group had been diagnosed with celiac disease. The other study included about 700 babies. One group started eating gluten at age 6 months and the other at 12 months.