RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DAIRY PRODUCT CONSUMPTION AND INCIDENCE OF IDDM IN CHILDHOOD IN ITALY

OBJECTIVE - To test the hypothesis that the consumption of dairy produ cts, including fluid cows' milk and cheese, is related to the incidenc e of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), we correlated inciden ce rates in children 0-14 years of age with cows' milk and cheese cons umption in nine regions of a single country, Italy. RESEARCH DESIGN AN D METHODS - Data on the incidence of IDDM were derived from the only n ine Italian regions where primary and secondary sources of ascertainme nt were available for 1991. Data on fluid cows' milk and cheese consum ption in the corresponding year in each region were obtained from the National Institute of Statistics. RESULTS - The correlation between fl uid milk consumption and incidence of IDDM in Italy was 0.84 (P < 0.00 4, Poisson regression analysis). Cheese consumption was not related to IDDM incidence. CONCLUSIONS - The results indicate that there is a re lationship, even in a single country, between dairy product consumptio n and the incidence of IDDM that is confined to fluid milk consumption . Cows' milk may contain a triggering factor for the development of di abetes, but the high incidence of IDDM in Sardinia and in other countr ies worldwide cannot be explained simply by the quantity of fluid cows ' milk consumed.