Key genetic causes of type 2 diabetes have been discovered by British scientists – revealing the risk of getting the disease is ‘hardwired into our DNA’.
Two sets of genes were identified in landmark research that increased the likelihood of the disease.
The first is that people who have a tendency to store fat in the liver are more at risk.
Type 2 diabetes risk rises by 27% with every 5 percent increase of liver fat. A study found that genes associated with having a smaller stomach and a higher risk for developing diabetes are linked to the development of the condition.
The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system, which produces insulin, the hormone that controls the body’s blood sugar levels.
Key genetic causes of type 2 diabetes have been discovered by British scientists – revealing the risk of getting the disease is ‘hardwired into our DNA’
Diabetes UK said the research, which looked at data and MRI scans from 32,859 people in the UK, is the first to reveal the risk of the condition ‘is hardwired into our genetics’.
According to the charity’s findings published in Diabetes Care journal, they could provide more specific ways of reducing diabetes risk for people who have genes that are linked to higher liver fat levels and a smaller number of pancreas.
There are currently 4.11 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK. This can cause complications such as heart attacks, strokes and blindness.
Type 2 diabetes affects nine in ten people with the disease. This is due to unhealthy eating habits and obesity. Type 1 diabetes is an unpreventable autoimmune disease that usually develops in childhood.
Study lead author Dr Hanieh Yaghootkar, from Brunel University, west London, said: ‘People with type 2 diabetes usually have excess fat in their liver and pancreas, the two key organs in the maintenance of the normal level of blood sugar.
“This genetic study, which we conducted in this study, is the most accurate method for testing this relationship. It also provides evidence that liver fat plays a causal part in Type 2 Diabetes risk.
‘Our results encourage better treatment of those living with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and provide evidence for the multiple benefits of weight loss and better screening for diabetes risk in these people.
‘We also showed that people with genes that make them more likely to have a smaller pancreas have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
About 4.5 million Britons are living with type 2 diabetes. An additional 13.6million are thought to be at-risk.
‘We hope by better characterisation of fat in different organs and also different organ size in the future, we can provide better understanding of the mechanisms that cause type 2 diabetes.’
Dr Lucy Chambers, head of research communications at Diabetes UK, said: ‘This important research funded by Diabetes UK pinpoints, for the first time, that liver fat and pancreas size directly contribute to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and this is hardwired into our genetics.
‘However, it’s important to remember that a complex mix of genetic, biological and environmental factors contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.
‘Knowing your overall risk of type 2 diabetes is the first step in accessing support, such as prevention programmes, to help reduce your risk.’