Women who eat vegetables such as potatoes and turnips while pregnant may increase their child's risk of developing diabetes, according to a study on mice.

It has been thought that an environmental trigger plays a role in type 1 diabetes for some time, though a cause was not known.

Now, researchers have found that bafilomycin, a toxin found in some bacteria called streptomyces that infect vegetables such as potatoes, sugar beets, turnips and radishes, may be a trigger for type 1 diabetes in children who are genetically susceptible.

In the study, pregnant mice that ate tiny amounts of the toxin were far more likely to have babies that later developed type 1 diabetes.

The toxin, which cannot be destroyed through cooking, appeared to affect the development of the pancreas, which could cause type 1 diabetes in susceptible persons, according to researchers.

About five to 10 percent of people may have the gene that makes them susceptible to type 1 diabetes. Researchers also noted that regions where tuberous vegetables that may contain this toxin are commonly eaten have high rates of diabetes.

For instance, Finland, where potatoes are commonly eaten, and Sardinia, where people eat a lot of sugar beets, have the highest rates of diabetes in the world, researchers said.

It's estimated that 2 million children worldwide have type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes makes up 10 percent to 15 percent of all diabetes cases--type 2 diabetes is a different type that is triggered by lifestyle factors.

The Australian June 9, 2003