New research suggests that an early intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids through the mother’s breast milk may lower the risk of type 1 diabetes in infants.

Share on Pinterest Research shows that dietary intake of omega-3 in the mother may prevent type 1 diabetes in the infant receiving her breast milk.

Type 1 diabetes affects more than 20 million people across the globe, and more than a million people in the United States have been diagnosed with the disease.

The condition is an autoimmune disorder, in which the body’s own immune cells attack the so-called beta cells. Beta cells are responsible for producing insulin, which, in turn, is needed to decrease the levels of sugar in the blood. Therefore, in type 1 diabetes, the body cannot produce insulin, and patients with this condition must have it administered artificially in order to survive.

Type 1 diabetes used to be called “juvenile-onset” diabetes, as the disease tends to be diagnosed when the patient is in their mid-teens. In fact, studies have shown that between 2001 and 2009, the number of cases of type 1 diabetes increased the most between those aged 15 to 19.

A new study suggests that something could be done to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes. Dr. Sari Niinistö, of the National Institute of Health and Welfare in Helsinki, Finland, and team set out to investigate whether or not maternal intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can help to prevent type 1 diabetes in infants.

Omega-3 fats are a subtype of polyunsaturated fats – that is, the “good” kind of fat – and are found most commonly in fish and fish oil, although they can also be found in nuts, leafy vegetables, and other vegetable oils.

The findings were published in the journal Diabetologia.