A milk-free diet downregulates folate receptor autoimmunity in cerebral folate deficiency syndrome

Dev Med Child Neurol. 2008 May;50(5):346-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2008.02053.x. Epub 2008 Mar 19.

Abstract

In cerebral folate deficiency syndrome, the presence of autoantibodies against the folate receptor (FR) explains decreased folate transport to the central nervous system and the clinical response to folinic acid. Autoantibody crossreactivity with milk FR from different species prompted us to test the effect of a milk-free diet. Intervention with a milkfree diet in 12 children (nine males, three females; mean age 6y [SD 4y 11mo], range 1-19y), decreased autoantibody titer significantly from 2.08pmol of FR blocked per ml of serum (SD 2.1; range 0.24-8.35) to 0.35pmol (SD 0.49; range 0-1.32; p=0.012) over 3 to 13 months, whereas FR autoantibody titer increased significantly to 6.53 (SD 6.08; range 0.54-14.07; p=0.013) in nine children who were reexposed to milk for 6 to 14 weeks. In 12 children on a normal diet (eight males, four females; mean age 5y 5mo [SD 4y 1mo], range 1y 6mo-16y 4mo), the antibody titer increased significantly from 0.84pmol of FR blocked per ml (SD 0.39; range 0.24-1.44) to 3.04pmol (SD 1.42; range 0.84-6.01; p=0.001) over 10 to 24 months. Decreasing the autoantibody titer with a milk-free diet in conjunction with folinic acid therapy may be advocated for these patients.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Autoantibodies / metabolism
  • Autoimmunity*
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Carrier Proteins / immunology*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diet, Reducing / methods*
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Down-Regulation / physiology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / methods
  • Female
  • Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored
  • Folic Acid Deficiency / diet therapy*
  • Folic Acid Deficiency / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Milk*
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / immunology*
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored
  • Receptors, Cell Surface