Early feeding practices and their impact on development of celiac disease.

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. Gluten is a protein component in wheat and other cereals, including rye and barley that are generally introduced in the infant's diet at weaning. At present, two schools of thought claim that changing early feeding regimens in at-risk infants can either prevent the onset of the disease or merely delay it. Recent advances have increased our understanding of the molecular basis of this disorder and provide the rationale to perform prospective dietary interventional studies to establish the proper timing of gluten exposure to minimize the risk of developing celiac disease.