Seattle researcher examines environmental causes for juvenile diabetes
Friday, March 7, 2003
By CAROL SMITH
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

"The trend is disturbing: Juvenile diabetes, a disease that can cost people their kidneys, their eyesight, even their limbs later in life, has been steadily claiming more victims during the past few decades. And no one knows why....

"It can't just be genes," said Dr. Bill Hagopian, a researcher with the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation in Seattle. The number of children diagnosed with the disease has been increasing about 3 percent a year since 1980, he said. Hagopian recently received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help conduct the first large-scale attempt to discern the environmental factors that cause one kid to get juvenile diabetes, and another to grow up unscathed....
Researchers are still deciding which environmental factors to track, but they have some leads. "We think early exposure to non-breast milk proteins, especially those in cow's milk, may play a role," he said. "And gluten (a protein found in wheat). It's very clear if babies are exposed to gluten in the first three months, you have a much higher risk." Infants could be exposed to gluten in formula. Some preliminary studies indicate the risk increases five-fold. In addition, there is some evidence that exposure to Vitamin D, certain fatty acids, and some common gastrointestinal viruses, such as the coxsackievirus, may be linked to development of diabetes. Scientists believe it's something about early exposure that conditions the body to get the disease. For example, about one-third of children born to mothers who had German measles while pregnant end up with diabetes. "That tells you an exposure even as early as the womb can predispose to diabetes," Hagopian said."

Women share views on motherhood, breast-feeding
Iowa State Daily
By Shana Steidl
Daily Correspondent
March 07, 2003

"Three women shared their views on the cultural difference in mothering, including breast-feeding, in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union Wednesday. Vicki Abel, Mary Kay Vogel and Brigitte Gassman represented the La Leche League International, an organization with the sole purpose of helping breast-feeding mothers. Abel, Vogel and Gassman led the discussion, "Endangered! The Art of Mothering: International Perspectives, Breast-feeding, and Other Aspects." The discussion largely included the advantages of breast-feeding. In the United States, bottle-feeding is considered the norm, Vogel said. "In our culture, we don't realize that breast-feeding is a normal part of the reproductive cycle," she said."

The Woman settles Capitol lawsuit
Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com
By Edgar Sanchez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Friday, March 7, 2003

"The state Assembly will pay $540,000 to settle a suit brought by a former staff member who maintains she was harassed for breast-feeding her baby at work, lawyers for the plaintiff said Thursday. The deal for Pamela "P.J." Harper, former head of the Assembly's Travel Office, was reached Monday when the case was scheduled to go to trial, according to Haig A. Harris Jr., one of her attorneys. It will be one of the biggest payouts made by the Assembly to settle an internal sex-discrimination dispute."