Genetic link to tiny babies and diabetes
SCIENTISTS have found two genetic regions that affect a baby's size at birth and say one of them is also linked with developing diabetes in later life.
The finding, published in the journal Nature Genetics, is the first firm evidence of a genetic link between low birth weight and diabetes and helps explain why small babies have higher rates of diabetes when they grow up, the scientists said.
Type 2 diabetes, often called adult-onset diabetes, is a common disease that interferes with the body's ability to use sugar and insulin, a substance produced by the pancreas which lowers blood sugar after eating.
The condition is reaching epidemic levels, with an estimated 180 million people now suffering from diabetes around the world.
Scientists knew lighter babies were more at risk of having type 2 diabetes as adults, but it was not clear why.
It is widely thought that a pregnant mother's diet can influence the growth of her baby and its later risk of disease, a process known as "programing." But the latest research confirms that genes are also important.
"It is now important for us to establish how much of the association is due to our genes and how much is due to the environment, because this will inform how we target efforts to prevent the disease," said Rachel Freathy of the Peninsula Medical School in southern England, who worked on the study.
The team analyzed more than 38,000 Europeans from 19 previous studies, finding two genetic variants were strongly linked with birth weight. One variant had also been linked with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. People who inherit two "risk copies" of this are at a 25 percent higher risk of diabetes in adulthood.
The finding, published in the journal Nature Genetics, is the first firm evidence of a genetic link between low birth weight and diabetes and helps explain why small babies have higher rates of diabetes when they grow up, the scientists said.
Type 2 diabetes, often called adult-onset diabetes, is a common disease that interferes with the body's ability to use sugar and insulin, a substance produced by the pancreas which lowers blood sugar after eating.
The condition is reaching epidemic levels, with an estimated 180 million people now suffering from diabetes around the world.
Scientists knew lighter babies were more at risk of having type 2 diabetes as adults, but it was not clear why.
It is widely thought that a pregnant mother's diet can influence the growth of her baby and its later risk of disease, a process known as "programing." But the latest research confirms that genes are also important.
"It is now important for us to establish how much of the association is due to our genes and how much is due to the environment, because this will inform how we target efforts to prevent the disease," said Rachel Freathy of the Peninsula Medical School in southern England, who worked on the study.
The team analyzed more than 38,000 Europeans from 19 previous studies, finding two genetic variants were strongly linked with birth weight. One variant had also been linked with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. People who inherit two "risk copies" of this are at a 25 percent higher risk of diabetes in adulthood.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.