Diabetes And Genetics
Tweet Genetics play a strong role in the chances of developing both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Other factors include environment and lifestyle. Diabetes is an increasingly common chronic condition affecting millions of people in the UK alone. Diabetes and genetic risk The risk of developing diabetes is affected by whether your parents or siblings have diabetes. The likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes differ, as you can see below. Type 1 diabetes and genetics - average risks Mother with diabetes increases risk of diabetes by 2% Father with diabetes increases risk of diabetes by 8% Both parents with diabetes increases risk by 30% Brother or sister with diabetes increases risk by 10% Non-identical twin with diabetes increases risk by 15% Identical twin with diabetes increases risk by 40% Type 2 diabetes and genetics - average risks If either mother of father has diabetes increases risk of diabetes by 15% If both mother and father have diabetes increases risk by 75% If non-identical twin has diabetes increases risk by 10% If identical twin has diabetes increases risk by 90% Some other forms of diabetes may be directly inherited, including maturity onset diabetes in the young (MODY) and diabetes due to mitochondrial DNA mutation. However, neither type 1 or type 2 diabetes may be entirely genetically determined. Experts believe that environmental factors act as either ‘initators’ or ‘accelerators.’ Several genes are known as susceptibility genes, meaning that if an individual is carrying this gene they face greater risk of developing diabetes. Similarly, other genes provide greater immune tolerance for non-diabetics. My family have type 2 diabetes, will I get it? Type 2 diabetes is, in part, inherited. First degree relatives of individuals wit Continue reading >>
- DNA methylation links genetics, fetal environment, and an unhealthy lifestyle to the development of type 2 diabetes
- The Genetics of Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
Is Type 2 Diabetes Caused By Genetics?
Diabetes is a complex condition. Several factors must come together for you to develop type 2 diabetes. For example, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle play a role. Genetics can also influence whether you’ll get this disease. If you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, there’s a good chance that you’re not the first person with diabetes in your family. According to the American Diabetes Association, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is: 1 in 7 if one of your parents was diagnosed before the age of 50 1 in 13 if one of your parents was diagnosed after the age of 50 1 in 2, or 50 percent, if both your parents have diabetes Several gene mutations have been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes. These gene mutations can interact with the environment and each other to further increase your risk. Type 2 diabetes is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Scientists have linked several gene mutations to a higher diabetes risk. Not everyone who carries a mutation will get diabetes. But many people with diabetes do have one or more of these mutations. It can be difficult to separate genetic risk from environmental risk. The latter is often influenced by your family members. For example, parents with healthy eating habits are likely to pass them on to the next generation. On the other hand, genetics plays a big part in determining weight. Sometimes behaviors can’t take all the blame. Studies of twins suggest that type 2 diabetes might be linked to genetics. These studies were complicated by the environmental influences that also affect type 2 diabetes risk. To date, numerous mutations have been shown to affect type 2 diabetes risk. The contribution of each gene is generally small. However, each additional mutation you have seems to increase your Continue reading >>
What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that's characterized by high blood sugar, which doctors refer to as hyperglycemia. In type 2 diabetes, the two main contributors to high blood sugar are insulin resistance and a drop in your body's production of insulin. These two factors are what makes type 2 diabetes different from type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and other types of diabetes. What Is Insulin Resistance? Insulin — the hormone that allows your body to regulate sugar in the blood — is made in your pancreas. Insulin resistance is a state in which the body’s cells do not use insulin efficiently. As a result, it takes more insulin than normal to transport glucose (the main type of sugar found in the bloodstream) into cells, where it can be used for fuel or stored for later use. Insulin resistance develops over time, and as the body becomes more and more insulin resistant, the pancreas responds by releasing more and more insulin. This higher-than-normal level of insulin in the bloodstream is called hyperinsulinemia. For a while, the pancreas may be able to keep up with the body’s increased need for insulin, and blood sugar levels may stay within the normal range — about 70 to 100 mg/dl before meals and lower than 140 mg/dl after meals. Eventually, however, the pancreas can no longer keep up, and blood sugar levels begin to rise. What Causes Type 2 Diabetes? It's not known for certain why some people develop type 2 diabetes and some do not. There are several factors, however, that can increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes: Obesity Being obese or overweight puts you at significant risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Four out of five people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Prediabetes Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Causes
Type 2 diabetes has several causes: genetics and lifestyle are the most important ones. A combination of these factors can cause insulin resistance, when your body doesn’t use insulin as well as it should. Insulin resistance is the most common cause of type 2 diabetes. Genetics Play a Role in Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes can be hereditary. That doesn’t mean that if your mother or father has (or had) type 2 diabetes, you’re guaranteed to develop it; instead, it means that you have a greater chance of developing type 2. Researchers know that you can inherit a risk for type 2 diabetes, but it’s difficult to pinpoint which genes carry the risk. The medical community is hard at work trying to figure out the certain genetic mutations that lead to a risk of type 2. Lifestyle Is Very Important, Too Genes do play a role in type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle choices are also important. You can, for example, have a genetic mutation that may make you susceptible to type 2, but if you take good care of your body, you may not develop diabetes. Say that two people have the same genetic mutation. One of them eats well, watches their cholesterol, and stays physically fit, and the other is overweight (BMI greater than 25) and inactive. The person who is overweight and inactive is much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes because certain lifestyle choices greatly influence how well your body uses insulin. Lack of exercise: Physical activity has many benefits—one of them being that it can help you avoid type 2 diabetes, if you’re susceptible. Unhealthy meal planning choices: A meal plan filled with high-fat foods and lacking in fiber (which you can get from grains, vegetables, and fruits) increases the likelihood of type 2. Overweight/Obesity: Lack of exercise and unhealthy me Continue reading >>
Genetic Screening For The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
The prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes, representing >90% of all cases of diabetes, are increasing rapidly throughout the world. The International Diabetes Federation has estimated that the number of people with diabetes is expected to rise from 366 million in 2011 to 552 million by 2030 if no urgent action is taken. Furthermore, as many as 183 million people are unaware that they have diabetes (www.idf.org). Therefore, the identification of individuals at high risk of developing diabetes is of great importance and interest for investigators and health care providers. Type 2 diabetes is a complex disorder resulting from an interaction between genes and environment. Several risk factors for type 2 diabetes have been identified, including age, sex, obesity and central obesity, low physical activity, smoking, diet including low amount of fiber and high amount of saturated fat, ethnicity, family history, history of gestational diabetes mellitus, history of the nondiabetic elevation of fasting or 2-h glucose, elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and different drug treatments (diuretics, unselected β-blockers, etc.) (1–3). There is also ample evidence that type 2 diabetes has a strong genetic basis. The concordance of type 2 diabetes in monozygotic twins is ~70% compared with 20–30% in dizygotic twins (4). The lifetime risk of developing the disease is ~40% in offspring of one parent with type 2 diabetes, greater if the mother is affected (5), and approaching 70% if both parents have diabetes. In prospective studies, we have demonstrated that first-degree family history is associated with twofold increased risk of future type 2 diabetes (1,6). The challenge has been to find genetic markers that explain the excess risk associated with family history of diabetes Continue reading >>
The Genetics Of Diabetes
Why me? How did I deserve this? Am I to blame? These are questions that many people ask when diagnosed with a serious condition or disease. Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut answer when it comes to diabetes. Unlike some traits, diabetes doesn’t seem to be inherited in a simple pattern, and there is a lot of misinformation out there about its causes. (Have you ever had to explain that diabetes doesn’t happen because someone ate too much sugar?) It’s apparent, though, that some people are born more likely to develop diabetes than others. We know that type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes, but genetics plays an important role in both types. People with diabetes inherit a predisposition to the disease, then something in their environment triggers it. Identical twins are proof that genes alone are not enough, however. Identical twins have identical genes; therefore, they should have the same genetic risk for a disease—right? Not necessarily. Research has found that if one identical twin has type 1 diabetes, the other twin will get the disease about 50 percent of the time. For type 2 diabetes, that risk rises to as much as 4 in 5. In both type 1 and type 2, identical twins have a much higher risk of both developing diabetes than non-identical (fraternal) twins, which further supports the fact that genetics is involved. So what are the causes of type 1 diabetes? Again, we know that genetics is involved. We also know that it’s not just one gene responsible, but many different genes, each of which contributes only a small part of the risk. Scientists have identified a few genes responsible for type 1, but the majority of the genetic risk is still unidentified. Because of the data about identical twins, we know that type 1 diabetes doesn’t arise solely Continue reading >>
- The Genetics of Diabetes
- DNA methylation links genetics, fetal environment, and an unhealthy lifestyle to the development of type 2 diabetes
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
Contrasting The Genetic Background Of Type 1 Diabetes And Celiac Disease Autoimmunity
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CeD) cluster in families and can occur in the same individual. Genetic loci have been associated with susceptibility to both diseases. Our aim was to explore the genetic differences between individuals developing both these diseases (double autoimmunity) versus those with only one. We hypothesized that double autoimmunity individuals carry more of the genetic risk markers that are shared between the two diseases independently. SNPs were genotyped in loci associated with T1D (n = 42) and CeD (n = 28) in 543 subjects who developed double autoimmunity, 2,472 subjects with T1D only, and 2,223 CeD-only subjects. For identification of loci that were specifically associated with individuals developing double autoimmunity, two association analyses were conducted: double autoimmunity versus T1D and double autoimmunity versus CeD. HLA risk haplotypes were compared between the two groups. The CTLA4 and IL2RA loci were more strongly associated with double autoimmunity than with either T1D or CeD alone. HLA analyses indicated that the T1D high-risk genotype, DQ2.5/DQ8, provided the highest risk for developing double autoimmunity (odds ratio 5.22, P = 2.25 × 10−29). We identified a strong HLA risk genotype (DQ2.5/DQ8) predisposing to double autoimmunity, suggesting a dominant role for HLA. Non-HLA loci, CTLA4 and IL2RA, may also confer risk to double autoimmunity. Thus, CeD patients who carry the DQ2.5/DQ8 genotype may benefit from periodic screening of autoantibodies related to T1D. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CeD) are immunologic disorders, affecting between 0.5% and 1% of the general population (1,2). They are both multifactorial diseases arising from a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors. In addition Continue reading >>
Diabetes Genetics: How Is Diabetes Inherited?
An estimated 2.5 to 3 million Americans have type 1 diabetes. My father was one of them. Diagnosed around age 10, he spent most of his life injecting insulin into his arms, stomach and legs. Eventually, his eye sight and heart could no longer function properly, and he passed away when I was in high school. Around this time, I was introduced to the subject of genetics. I thought back to all those check-ups at the Joslin clinic (now Joslin Diabetes Center) and realized that genetics was the reason everyone watched me and my sister so closely. Genetics was the reason my family was so scared when I starting gaining too much weight in middle school and freaked out every time my foot fell asleep or I was thirsty. Genetics. The loss of my father and timely introduction to genetics drove my decision to become a genetic counselor. Part of a genetic counselors job is to assess disease risk using what we know about family history, the genes and mutations involved, and sometimes, genetic and non-genetic testing results. We then use that information to help individuals and families make more informed decisions about their health. The Genetics of Diabetes Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are both considered to have multifactorial inheritance — meaning that many factors contribute to the development of these conditions. While the manner of inheritance may be the same for these two conditions, the genetic, lifestyle and environmental risk factors are different. A number of genes associated with immune system function have been linked to type 1 diabetes susceptibility. Many Caucasians with diabetes have specific genetic variations (called 3 and/or 4) in the HLA-DR gene. We also know that different variations, HLA-DR7 and HLA-DR9, play important roles in African-Americans and the Japanese, r Continue reading >>
- The Genetics of Diabetes
- DNA methylation links genetics, fetal environment, and an unhealthy lifestyle to the development of type 2 diabetes
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
The Genetic Trail To Diabetes: Is Your Future Inevitable?
There are two things for certain with Diabetes (both Type I and Type II): Pre-disposition + Environment/lifestyle = Increased risk. Whether or not you choose to follow that path, or defend your body against it, is up to you. Sounds too easy, doesn't it? But according to research and science, the reality of where you live (environment), what you eat (nutrition) and your activity level (fitness) can either work for or against you in the defense against both types of Diabetes. So what can you do if your genetics are pointing your future toward this disease before being diagnosed with it? Can you "prevent" it from happening? Is your current lifestyle making you a likely candidate? Is surgery the answer? Before we go any further, let's understand the truth about "Diabetic surgery": *Surgery may be a "quick start" to help you but lifestyle changes (diet/nutrition and exercise) MUST be part of the entire process As for Type I and Type II diabetes, the following facts may just help you find the answer before you encounter either type of this disease in your life: Type I Diabetes has been linked to the following: *Cold environment *Genetic predisposition often inherited from both parents *Viruses *Not being breastfed as a baby *A predisposition to certain "autoantibodies" in the blood. **Antibodies are proteins that destroy bacteria or viruses. Autoantibodies are antibodies gone bad, attacking the body's own tissues Other factors that increase the risk are provided below by the following website, Diabetes.org ("In general, if you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child getting diabetes are 1 in 17. If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child Continue reading >>
Is Diabetes Genetic?
Diabetes is a complex disease. Several factors must come together for a person to develop Type 2 Diabetes. While genetics may influence whether you’ll get this disease or not, other factors like environmental risk factors and a sedentary lifestyle also play a huge role. So, is type 2 diabetes genetic? And if not, which type of diabetes is genetic? Those are the questions we are faced with today. And unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. Yes, genetics can play a role in increasing the risk for both Diabetes Type 1 as well as Diabetes Type 2, but genes alone will not determine whether you will develop diabetes or not. Will You Get Diabetes If It Runs In Your Family? If you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, chances are that you’re not the first person in your family who has diabetes. The details of whether diabetes can be inherited, and how this occurs, are not clear yet. About 10% of patients diagnosed with insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetes have a first degree relative with this type of diabetes. By first degree relative, we mean father, mother, sibling, twin and child. However, when it comes to the more common type of diabetes, which is Diabetes Type 2, it has a tendency to occur in families, but this is also not very strong and not predictable. A Swedish study on Metabolic Consequences of a Family History of Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus concluded that abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and decreased resting metabolic rate are characteristic features of first-degree relatives of patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (in other words, Diabetes Type 2). And that the decrease in resting metabolic rate is partially related to the degree of abdominal obesity. Many doctors with clinical practice treating diabetes believe that thi Continue reading >>
Is Diabetes Genetic? Facts About Hereditary Risk
Diabetes is a complex set of diseases with no single cause. Genetic factors make some people more vulnerable to diabetes, particularly with the right environment. In addition, certain lifestyle factors can cause type 2 diabetes in individuals with no known family history. This complex interaction between genes, lifestyle, and environment points to the importance of taking steps to minimize individual diabetes risk. Is type 1 diabetes hereditary? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, which means that it causes the body's immune system to attack healthy cells. It is often called juvenile diabetes because most people are diagnosed in childhood, and the condition then lasts their lifetime. Doctors used to think type 1 diabetes was wholly genetic. Newer studies have shown, however, that children develop type 1 diabetes 3 percent of the time if their mother has the condition, 5 percent of the time if their father has it, or 8 percent if a sibling has type 1 diabetes. Consequently, researchers now believe that something in the environment has to trigger type 1 diabetes. Some risk factors include: Cold weather. People develop type 1 diabetes in winter more frequently than summer. It is also more common in places with cool climates. Viruses. Researchers think some viruses might activate type 1 diabetes in people who are otherwise vulnerable. Measles, mumps, coxsackie B virus, and rotavirus have been linked to type 1 diabetes. Research suggests that people who develop type 1 diabetes may have autoimmune antibodies in their blood for many years before showing symptoms. As a result, the disease may develop over time, or something may have to activate the autoimmune antibodies for symptoms to appear. Is type 2 diabetes hereditary? Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of the d Continue reading >>
New Analysis Concludes Cause Of Diabetes Not Genetic
Since sequencing the human genome, genetic researchers have searched intensively but unearthed little evidence to suggest that inherited genes cause common diseases…. For such diseases, which include heart disease, stroke, cancers, diabetes, and disorders such as autism, ADHD and dementia, as well as mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression, significant genetic causation can now be ruled out with a high degree of confidence. The case for a substantial role of genes in susceptibility to the major human diseases is now scientifically refuted argues a groundbreaking new analysis published by the public interest science organization, The Bioscience Resource Project. The analysis stems from the repeated failure of a new and comprehensive genome scanning method (called Genome-Wide Association studies, GWA studies) to find important human disease genes. It notes that more than 700 GWA studies by researchers from all over the world, covering over 80 different diseases and at a cost of many billions of dollars, have yielded essentially the same result. Of the approximately 1,000 genes identified that confer susceptibility to disease only a tiny handful are of even limited importance. The remainder are so weak in their effects as to be of negligible significance to human health1. “Geneticists are repeatedly finding only genes with trivial effects, but since they have a strong incentive not to declare this search over, they are left invoking unlikely hiding places for the important disease genes they have always predicted,” says Jonathan Latham, Executive Director of the Bioscience Resource Project2. The Great DNA Data Deficit: Are genes for disease a mirage? which will be published on December 9th, 2010, points out that the hiding places on which geneticists’ Continue reading >>
Genetics And Type 1 Diabetes
If you have type 1 diabetes, you might wonder if your child would get it, too. Or if one of your parents has it, what it means for you. Your genes definitely play a role in type 1, a less common form of diabetes that’s often diagnosed in children and young adults. But they’re not the whole story. Like much in life, it’s a mix of nature and nurture. Your environment, from where you grow up to the foods you eat, also matters. Researchers don’t know exactly how -- and how much -- all those things affect your chances of getting the disease. Your genes set the stage, but you can’t be certain how it'll all play out. There’s no diabetes gene that gets turned on or off to give you type 1. Instead, a bunch of them play a role, including a dozen or so that have the biggest say: the HLA genes. They make proteins your immune system uses to keep you healthy. Since type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease -- your body destroys the cells that make insulin -- it makes sense that HLA genes are front and center. There are thousands of versions of them in the human gene pool. Which ones you get from your parents affect your chances of diabetes in a big way. Some make you more likely to get it, while others can help protect you from it. You have type 1 if your body makes little or no insulin, a hormone that helps your body turn sugar into energy. Certain genes are more common in one group of people than in another. That’s why race and ethnicity affect things, too. For example, white people are more likely to have type 1 diabetes than others. But even if you have genes that make you more likely to get type 1, that doesn’t mean you definitely will. Even with identical twins -- who have the same exact genes -- sometimes one gets it and the other doesn’t. That’s where the e Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a disorder characterized by abnormally high blood sugar levels. In this form of diabetes, specialized cells in the pancreas called beta cells stop producing insulin. Insulin controls how much glucose (a type of sugar) is passed from the blood into cells for conversion to energy. Lack of insulin results in the inability to use glucose for energy or to control the amount of sugar in the blood. Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age; however, it usually develops by early adulthood, most often starting in adolescence. The first signs and symptoms of the disorder are caused by high blood sugar and may include frequent urination (polyuria), excessive thirst (polydipsia), fatigue, blurred vision, tingling or loss of feeling in the hands and feet, and weight loss. These symptoms may recur during the course of the disorder if blood sugar is not well controlled by insulin replacement therapy. Improper control can also cause blood sugar levels to become too low (hypoglycemia). This may occur when the body's needs change, such as during exercise or if eating is delayed. Hypoglycemia can cause headache, dizziness, hunger, shaking, sweating, weakness, and agitation. Uncontrolled type 1 diabetes can lead to a life-threatening complication called diabetic ketoacidosis. Without insulin, cells cannot take in glucose. A lack of glucose in cells prompts the liver to try to compensate by releasing more glucose into the blood, and blood sugar can become extremely high. The cells, unable to use the glucose in the blood for energy, respond by using fats instead. Breaking down fats to obtain energy produces waste products called ketones, which can build up to toxic levels in people with type 1 diabetes, resulting in diabetic ketoacidosis. Affected individuals may begin breathin Continue reading >>
Genetic Risk Factors For Type 1 Diabetes
Summary Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed at the end of a prodrome of β-cell autoimmunity. The disease is most likely triggered at an early age by autoantibodies primarily directed against insulin or glutamic acid decarboxylase, or both, but rarely against islet antigen-2. After the initial appearance of one of these autoantibody biomarkers, a second, third, or fourth autoantibody against either islet antigen-2 or the ZnT8 transporter might also appear. The larger the number of β-cell autoantibody types, the greater the risk of rapid progression to clinical onset of diabetes. This association does not necessarily mean that the β-cell autoantibodies are pathogenic, but rather that they represent reproducible biomarkers of the pathogenesis. The primary risk factor for β-cell autoimmunity is genetic, mainly occurring in individuals with either HLA-DR3-DQ2 or HLA-DR4-DQ8 haplotypes, or both, but a trigger from the environment is generally needed. The pathogenesis can be divided into three stages: 1, appearance of β-cell autoimmunity, normoglycaemia, and no symptoms; 2, β-cell autoimmunity, dysglycaemia, and no symptoms; and 3, β-cell autoimmunity, dysglycaemia, and symptoms of diabetes. The genetic association with each one of the three stages can differ. Type 1 diabetes could serve as a disease model for organ-specific autoimmune disorders such as coeliac disease, thyroiditis, and Addison's disease, which show similar early markers of a prolonged disease process before clinical diagnosis. Continue reading >>
