Hygiene hypothesis and diabetes prevention

JDRF funded study links 'hygiene hypothesis' to diabetes prevention

The study [funded by JDRF], reported this week in Nature Magazine, lends further support to the "hygiene hypothesis," that exposure to an appropriate amount and composition of bacteria may be important to living a healthy life, and that susceptibility to type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune disorders may actually be caused by a lack of exposure to certain parasites and microbes.

I monitor the research regarding prevention of type 1 diabetes, because my husband has type 1 so I do everything I can to prevent our daughters from developing it. There does seem to be a genetic factor along with environmental factors including vaccination, non-breastfeeding, and cow's milk consumption (although some people suggest that only pasteurized milk, not raw, triggers the immune response.)