Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Is Diabetes in Your Genes?
Approximately 24 million people in the United States have diabetes. In fact, in the United States, nearly 10% of adults age 20 and older have diabetes. And a large number -- more than 10 million -- are age 60 or older. If you’re in this huge group, you may wonder if you inherited your diabetes. Here’s the answer, in brief.
Scientists are still sorting out how heredity influences the risk of diabetes, but there is no doubt that the genes we receive from our parents play a vital role. It's important to keep in mind, though, that inheriting a given gene or set of genes does not guarantee you will develop diabetes. Instead, certain genes increase the susceptibility for developing the disease. And environment -- your eating habits, activity levels, stress, etc. -- also plays a significant role.
Genes are units of biochemical information found in the nucleus of every cell that dictate how the body appears and functions. Scientists have discovered that "variations" in certain genes seem to increase the risk of many diseases, including both major forms of diabetes. For instance, studies show that people with type 1 diabetes tend to have variations in genes that carry the code for producing immune system proteins. Variations in a number of genes appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- However, genes alone do not cause diabetes in most cases. Something in the environment must "trigger" onset of the disease in people whose genes make them susceptible. While several theories attempt to explain what triggers type 1 diabetes, most evidence suggests that a high-fat Western diet and lack of exercise interacts with a person's genes to cause type 2 diabetes.
Posted in Diabetes on February 25, 2010
Reviewed January 2011
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer
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