The contribution of cows' milk containing beta-casein protein A1 variant to the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been controversial for decades.
It seems that the populations that consume milk containing high levels of beta-casein A2 have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 1 diabetes.
The highest antibody response to beta-casein in Type 1 diabetic patients and in patients with coeliac disease could reflect the gut mucosal immune disorders common to Type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease.
We analysed cellular immune reactivities against beta casein in newly-diagnosed Type I diabetic patients, their immediate autoantibody negative relatives, and unrelated healthy individuals in order to further elucidate the role of anti-beta casein immunity in the pathogenesis of Type I diabetes mellitus.