Could Breastfeeding Help Protect Children From Type 1 Diabetes? What New Research Is Revealing
Picture a ten-year-old child who has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). On average, a Canadian diagnosed at that age can expect to lose an estimated 10.6 years of life expectancy, and 22 healthy years along the way[1]. What if instead of asking only how we manage this disease once it arrives, if instead we asked what happens in the very first chapter of life that helps some children stay protected?
That question matters more with every passing year.
In 2022, 285,324 people were living with T1D in Canada, and the disease is growing by 4.4% each year1.
Today, 1 in 21 Canadian families is affected, compared with 1 in 47 in 1990.
Without change, that figure could reach 1 in 16 by 2040.1
Why the first 40 weeks matter
From October 1 to 7, Canadians come together for National Breastfeeding Week. The timing is thoughtful: the week falls in the 40th week of the year, symbolically matching the 40 weeks of a full-term pregnancy and the beginning of a newborn's life.[1]
This year's theme, "Strengthen What Works: Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life," is coordinated by the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada.[2] The week aims to raise awareness of the health benefits of human milk, celebrate community and family support, and advocate for equitable feeding resources. Health authorities recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding up to two years or more alongside solid foods.3
At Praespero, this week offers a fitting moment to share the story of a researcher who is asking what protects children from T1D right from the start.
A simple question with big potential
Dr. Sue Tsai, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, began her research journey with a question: why do some children develop T1D while others, even in similar conditions, remain healthy?
She became intrigued by the possibility that protection might begin before birth, and that mothers may pass on more than genes. Perhaps they also provide biological "shields" that help their children resist disease.
"By uncovering the natural protective mechanisms that mothers provide during gestation and early postnatal life, we can potentially identify new strategies to prevent type 1 diabetes from the very start of life," said Dr. Tsai.
"By uncovering the natural protective mechanisms that mothers provide during gestation and early postnatal life, we can potentially identify new strategies to prevent type 1 diabetes from the very start of life."
Following the biological clues
Much of the research into T1D has focused on what raises the risk of disease. Far less is known about what protects against it, particularly the maternal influences that begin in pregnancy and continue after birth.[1] Dr. Tsai's work is helping to fill that gap.
"To uncover these protective mechanisms, my team uses an animal model that allows us to study the earliest stages of life in a controlled way," said Dr. Tsai. "We focus on two key clues: maternal antibodies, which provide early immune protection, and the microbiome, the community of microbes that helps train the immune system."
By selectively changing these maternal factors, her team can observe how each one affects a young animal's immune development and its risk of diabetes.
"In many ways, this process feels like being a detective, following a trail of biological clues that connect mother and child," said Dr. Tsai, noting that each experiment helps rule in or rule out possible explanations.
Dr. Tsai also notes that this step-by-step approach is guiding her team closer to understanding how maternal factors shape lifelong health.
What Praespero's support made possible
Praespero's funding gave this work the freedom and foundation it needed to grow.
"With this funding, we established and refined an animal model to test how maternal antibodies and the microbiome influence immune development and diabetes risk in early life," said Dr. Tsai, noting that the experiments have helped her team identify specific maternal signals that appear to guide immune tolerance and protect against autoimmune attack.
That early investment also created a powerful ripple effect. Dr. Tsai's team went on to secure $1 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for 2024 to 2029 to expand the project. The team was also awarded a $300,000 grant from the Weston Family Foundation to study breastfeeding in T1D.
"Praespero's support enabled us to generate foundational data, build essential research capacity, and foster collaborations with immunologists and microbiome specialists," said Dr. Tsai. "Importantly, this investment allowed us to leverage our preliminary findings to secure additional funding and expand the scope of our work."
What the evidence is beginning to show
The emerging picture is encouraging, and it is one that fits the spirit of this year's National Breastfeeding Week.
"So far, striking evidence suggests breastfeeding to be protective against T1D, and babies whose mothers have T1D are less likely to develop the disease than babies whose fathers have it," said Dr. Tsai, noting that preclinical studies show breastmilk from mothers with T1D contains immunomodulatory factors, including antibodies. "This evidence strongly supports the need to better examine breastfeeding in T1D, and potentially other autoimmune diseases."
It is important to keep this in perspective. This is mid-stage research, and the next steps will focus on defining the molecular pathways through which these maternal protective signals work, and exploring whether similar mechanisms exist in humans. Families feed their babies in many different ways and for many different reasons. The aim of this science is not to assign responsibility. It is to understand how natural protection works so that new strategies can be developed to support every child.
"So far, striking evidence suggests breastfeeding to be protective against T1D, and babies whose mothers have T1D are less likely to develop the disease than babies whose fathers have it."
Nourishing hope from the very start
The name Praespero comes from the Latin for "to nourish hope," and Dr. Tsai's work shows what that can look like in practice: a patient search for answers that could one day prevent autoimmune disease before it begins.
"The journey has taught me that science advances step by step, through curiosity, patience, and persistence, and that the smallest discoveries can illuminate the path toward preventing disease before it ever begins."
This National Breastfeeding Week, you can help carry that hope forward. Together, we can accelerate the science to end autoimmune disease.
Share this story with your network to raise awareness of autoimmune disease and the need for collective support
Read more about Dr. Tsai's research in the Praespero Impact Report
Donate to boundary-breaking research here
Further reading: Dr. Tsai's published work
Strachan E, Clemente-Casares X, Tsai S. Maternal provisions in type 1 diabetes: evidence for both protective and pathogenic potential. Frontiers in Immunology, 2023. Also available on PubMed.
University of Alberta faculty profile: Dr. Sue Tsai
References
Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). T1D Index [Internet]. Breakthrough T1D; 2022 Sep 27 [cited 2026 Oct 6]. Available from: https://breakthrought1d.ca/t1d-index/
Breastfeeding Committee for Canada. About National Breastfeeding Week (NBW) [Internet]. Breastfeeding Committee for Canada; [cited 2026 Oct 6]. Available from: https://breastfeedingcanada.ca/news-and-events/national-breastfeeding-week-nbw/about-nbw/
Breastfeeding Committee for Canada. 2026 NBW contest [Internet]. Breastfeeding Committee for Canada; [cited 2026 Oct 6]. Available from: https://breastfeedingcanada.ca/news-and-events/national-breastfeeding-week-nbw/2026-nbw-contest/
Strachan E, Clemente-Casares X, Tsai S. Maternal provisions in type 1 diabetes: evidence for both protective and pathogenic potential. Front Immunol. 2023 Mar 22;14:1146082. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1146082. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1146082/full
[1] Strachan E, Clemente-Casares X, Tsai S. Maternal provisions in type 1 diabetes: evidence for both protective and pathogenic potential. Front Immunol. 2023 Mar 22;14:1146082. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1146082. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1146082/full
[1] Breastfeeding Committee for Canada. About National Breastfeeding Week (NBW) [Internet]. Breastfeeding Committee for Canada; [cited 2026 Oct 6]. Available from: https://breastfeedingcanada.ca/news-and-events/national-breastfeeding-week-nbw/about-nbw/
[2] Breastfeeding Committee for Canada. 2026 NBW contest [Internet]. Breastfeeding Committee for Canada; [cited 2026 Oct 6]. Available from: https://breastfeedingcanada.ca/news-and-events/national-breastfeeding-week-nbw/2026-nbw-contest/
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