Риск шизофрении и чувствительность к глютену у матери

Maternal infections and other inflammatory disorders during pregnancy have long been linked to greater risk for schizophrenia in the offspring but, the Swedish and U.S. investigators say, this is the first study that points to maternal food sensitivity as a possible culprit in the development of such disorders. The findings establish a strong link but do not mean that gluten sensitivity will invariably cause schizophrenia, the investigators caution. The research, however, does suggest an intriguing new mechanism that may drive up risk and illuminate possible prevention strategies.
"Our research not only underscores the importance of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and its lifelong effects on the offspring, but also suggests one potential cheap and easy way to reduce risk if we were to find further proof that gluten sensitivity exacerbates or drives up schizophrenia risk," said study lead investigator Håkan Karlsson, M.D., Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Karolinska Institutet and former neuro-virology fellow at Johns Hopkins.
The team's findings are based on an examination of 764 birth records and neonatal blood samples of Swedes born between 1975 and 1985. Some 211 of them subsequently developed non-affective psychoses, such as schizophrenia and delusional disorders.
Using stored neonatal blood samples, the investigators measured levels of IgG antibodies to milk and wheat. IgG antibodies are markers of immune system reaction triggered by the presence of certain proteins. Because a mother's antibodies cross the placenta during pregnancy to confer immunity to the baby, a newborn's elevated IgG levels are proof of protein sensitivity in the mother.
Children born to mothers with abnormally high levels of antibodies to the wheat protein gluten had nearly twice the risk of developing schizophrenia later in life, compared with children who had normal levels of gluten antibodies. The link persisted even after researchers accounted for other factors known to increase schizophrenia risk, including maternal age, gestational age, mode of delivery and the mother's immigration status. The risk for psychiatric disorders was not increased among those with elevated levels of antibodies to milk protein.

Maternal Antibodies to Gluten Linked to Schizophrenia Risk in Children