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Diabetes generally runs in families. That makes a lot of people wonder – is diabetes genetic? Gain clarity on this subject by reading on.
There is no right and wrong answer to the question above as other factors such as diet, lifestyle, and overall environment also play a major role in whether you will get diabetes or not. For most people who have diabetes, it is caused due to a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
November – Diabetes Awareness Month
November is known as National Diabetes Month. It is a time when communities across the country come together to bring attention to diabetes. The focus this year is prediabetes and steps one can take to prevent the disease.
Prediabetes is a serious health condition that is indicated by higher blood sugar levels (not high enough to indicate diabetes 2). As per a report published by CDC, 1 in every 3 US adults is struggling with prediabetes. The majority of the people go about their everyday lives without realizing that they have it. With the right information and a few lifestyle changes, it is possible to reverse prediabetes and prevent type 2 diabetes.
Family History and Risk Factors Related to Type 1, 2, and Gestational Diabetes
The role of genes in diabetes is linked with the type of diabetes. Here is some insight:
Type 1 Diabetes
When your natural immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that are responsible for making insulin, it is termed Type 1 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes have to inject insulin to replace the natural production of insulin in their bodies. Type 1 diabetes affects nearly 5 percent of individuals and usually appears in childhood or early adulthood. Autoantibodies that attack the insulin-producing cells can be detected years before Type 1 Diabetes is diagnosed.
This is found to be more common in ethnic groups. Research shows that individuals who have a family history of type 1 diabetes might be predisposed to developing it. The inheritance pattern is still unclear at this point. Nutritional infancy might also play an important role in diabetes type 1.
Type 2 Diabetes
This particular type of diabetes is caused when your body fails to produce insulin properly. In the case of diabetes type 2, your body is still producing insulin, but it isn’t enough to keep the blood glucose at normal levels. About 90 to 95 percent of diabetic patients are impacted with type 2 diabetes. It is most common in people who are 45 years of age or above.
One of the major factors that lead to type 2 diabetes is being overweight or obese. Anyone with a BMI of 25 or above is at a higher risk. Cardiovascular diseases, depression, PCOS are also associated with type 2 diabetes.
While obesity and other factors play an important role, type 2 diabetes is also caused by genetics. If you know someone with type 2 diabetes, chances are they have some people in their family struggling with the same condition. The disease is not caused by genetic variation alone. Diet, lifestyle, and exercise also play very important roles.
Gestational Diabetes
During pregnancy, women can develop a certain level of insulin resistance to ensure enough glucose is being provided to the fetus. This phenomenon is termed gestational diabetes. With that being said, most women will not develop the condition. The women who do develop gestational diabetes have at least one close family member who has had gestational diabetes. Other factors such as diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors also come into play.
Primarily the condition is caused due to high blood pressure, which is fairly common in pregnancy. With the maternal age increasing, gestational diabetes impacts nearly 14 percent of all pregnant women.
Is Genetic Testing Useful?
This question has remained a mystery for so many years. Let’s dissect why? Genetic mutations impact the function of a protein that is responsible for the production of insulin. Genetic testing is able to identify this mutation in certain cases. The information provided from the test is rarely useful and depends on the fact that whether the patient is dealing with monogenic or polygenic diabetes.
Monogenic Diabetes
Nearly 4 percent of diabetic patients have monogenic diabetes, which results from the mutation of a single gene. It is easy to pinpoint and can be tested for one single gene. The two most common monogenic diabetes forms are MODY and NDM.
Polygenic Diabetes
Most people struggling with type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes are polygenic, meaning that multiple genes are involved. Hence, the effectiveness of genetic testing is quite limited. You won’t be able to see if you have a chance of developing a disease or not.
Preventing Diabetes
Now that we have learned that genes and lifestyle factors play a fairly crucial role in diabetes, we can control the lifestyle aspect. Here are a few tips that can help prevent diabetes:
- Try to eliminate unnatural sugars and white carbs from your diet. Replace them with healthy alternatives. These days you can find a healthy option for nearly anything.
- Exercise regularly. You don’t have to hit the gym every day. Walk, jog, play sports, dance, or do any form of activity that you enjoy.
- Choose water over other drinks every single time and say no to juices, sodas, alcohol, etc.
- Keep your weight in check. You don’t have to be model thin but staying within your healthy BMI range always helps.
- Quit smoking as it is generally bad for your health and can certainly play a role in diabetes and other diseases.
- Eat everything but in moderation and watch your portion sizes. Eat small frequent meals throughout the day.
- Say no to sedentary behaviors. Take stairs instead of the elevator, walk during your work breaks, try to do the house chores by yourself, etc.
- Focus on eating a high-fiber diet.
- Get regular checkups and do not skip them.
Final Takeaway
Diabetes is oftentimes a mix of genes and a bad lifestyle. By leading a healthy lifestyle, the risk can be greatly minimized. Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to listen to your doctor and take all your meds on time to lead a healthy life. This can include taking the best supplements.