V, this is conversation we're having here, not advice to Type-1 diabetics. I think most people realize that.
Having suffered from at least 2 autoimmune diseases and issues with gluten (which getting off of cleared one autoimmune disease, well the symptoms anyway), I did a lot of reading on a hypothesis of autoimmune diseases.
Here's how it goes:
Normally we have all sorts of foreign proteins in the gut from the foods we eat. Something bad happens that opens up the "tight junctions" in the gut that allows some of these proteins to get into the blood stream before they're properly digested into amino acids. These proteins are then recognized by the body as foreign and it sets off an autoimmune reaction to those proteins.
Unfortunately these proteins sometimes resemble proteins our body produces naturally as hormones or things cells secrete to do things. Because the body is now programmed to respond to proteins shaped like that, it now starts attacking itself.
This theory is one Dr. Ebringer has been looking at for Anklosing Spondylitis patients who produce a protein very similar to the Klebsiella Pnuemonia bacteria. Here's a link if you're interested in reading more.
Molecular Mimicry
This idea of a "leaky gut", where foreign proteins can cross the intestinal barrier and set off an autoimmune disease is getting quite a lot of attention in some circles.
So, the big question is, is this how long does the immune system remember a foreign protein and respond to it? It isn't forever, we know that from getting flu shots and other immunizations. You have to redo them periodically. If you could heal the leaky gut or prevent that foreign protein from crossing over, perhaps eventually the autoimmune reaction would eventually stop.
As far as what causes a leaky gut to begin with, we know at least one culprit. It was discovered that a hormone called
Zonulin causes the tight junctions in the gut to open allowing stuff to cross over into the blood stream. Why do we make Zonulin? Why do some people have their TJ's get stuck open? These are all matters that some researchers are looking into and could possibly lead to some discoveries that could help all autoimmune sufferers someday! We can hope.
BTW: If you go to pubmed.org and put "intestinal permeability" in the search box there is quite a lot to read. Including this:
Leaking gut in Type 1 diabetics
My own personal theory is that its the food we're eating that is causing the TJ's to open and sometimes stay open. I think that's why Celiacs are so prone to getting other autoimmune diseases, they get the worst effect from Zonulin.