Six more genes that make people more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes have been discovered by U.S. and European scientists””a discovery that may help prevent and treat the chronic condition.
The researchers said this particular finding extends the total number of genes linked to the disease to 16 and offers clues as to how the biological mechanisms that control blood sugar levels go off-course when people get type 2 diabetes.
Mark McCarthy, a diabetes researcher at the University of Oxford, who co-led the study, said none of the genes they found were previously on the radar screen of diabetes researchers.
“Each of these genes therefore provides new clues to the processes that go wrong when diabetes develops, and each provides an opportunity for the generation of new approaches for treating or preventing this condition,” said McCarthy.
Diabetes causes blood glucose levels to rise too high resulting in damage to the eyes, kidneys and nerves, and can also lead to heart disease, stroke and limb amputations.
Researchers from over 40 centers analyzed the genetic data of more than 70,000 people. The team found six individual genetic differences that slightly raise a person’s risk of diabetes.
But McCarthy said the risk for the few people unlucky enough to inherit all six variations is two to three times higher than the average risk.
“By getting a handle on the mechanisms involved in disease we can start to tackle them in a more systemic and scientific way,” he said.
One surprising find was the link between type 2 diabetes and a gene called JAZF1, which researchers recently showed plays a role in prostate cancer.
McCarthy said the researchers believe the genes””which also include the CDC123-CAMK1D, TSPAN8-LGR5, THADA, ADAMTS9 and NOTCH2 genes””are involved in regulating the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 percent of all diabetes cases and is closely linked to obesity and physical inactivity.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes””a number likely to more than double by 2030.
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On the Net:
American Diabetes Association: www.diabetes.org
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