<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Linda Blanchard <[log in to unmask]> asked:

> Given that one of the best reasons to breastfeed is that mother's milk
> carries antibodies that get passed on to the baby to help protect
> against disease, is it possible that a celiac mom could "trigger" celiac
> disease in her genetically predisposed babe? In other words, if the
> little one had the gene for celiac's disease, would handing that baby
> the antibodies for celiac disease through the milk cause the baby to
> begin "fighting off" wheat gliadin so that when the babies of celiacs
> wean, they would then pick up fighting off the "grain offenders"
> themselves?

Karoly Horvath, one of the two directors of the celiac center at University of
Maryland in Baltimore, has generously offered the following reply in a private
post to me, and asked that I post it to the List:
------------
BREAST-FEEDING AND CELIAC DISEASE

 Breast milk contains antibodies against all the antigens the mother's immune
system has met prior to or during the pregnancy and has produced antibodies to
them.

 This system is the wisdom of nature and this is the way that mother's milk
protects babies from all the antigens (infectious agents, toxins etc )
occurring in the environment where the mother lives. These antigens without
this protection may enter the body through the digestive or respiratory
systems.  The best example is that breast milk protects babies from bacteria
causing diarrheas  in the underdeveloped countries.

 The antibodies are produced by the cells (plasma cells) localized in the gut
and the lung. These cells are migrating to the lactating breast-tissue for
hormonal trigger  (enteromammal plasma cell circle) and they continue producing
these antibodies in the breast.  These antibodies  appear in the breast milk.
In brief,  the breast milk may contain all the antibodies the mother has in her
digestive and respiratory systems.

 The function of these antibodies is to block the entrance of antigens
infectious agents, toxins, allergens etc) across the digestive or respiratory
tract of babies.

 In case of CD, it means that if the mother has circulating antibodies to
gliadin, these antibodies appear in the milk. If the breast fed baby ingests
gliadin (or the mother ingests accidentally and traces of gliadin appear in the
milk)  the antibodies in the milk blocks the gliadin and it will not able to
cross the intestinal wall and meet with the baby's immunosystem. Theoretically,
the breast-fed infant do not have any immunoreaction to gliadin.

 If the mother accidentally ingests gliadin during breast feeding it is likely
that the concentration of antigliadin antibodies become higher in the breast
milk.

 To answer the question: the antibodies in breast milk are protective and do
not "trigger" celiac disease in genetically predisposed babies.  There are
several data showing that breast feeding has a protective effect in case of
celiac disease.  Furthermore, it is well documented that breast feeding in the
first year of life decreases the risk of allergies by 50% in babies whose
parents have allergies.

 As far as the reaction after weaning concerned:  it is also known that babies
may have some reaction (loose stool or spit up or discomfort) transiently after
introducing a new food, however, this is a temporary symptom and not allergy or
immunoreaction to the food.  It is likely that their digestive system should
accomodate  to the new foods.

Karoly Horvath
Baltimore