Gene a guard against diabetes

Diabetes seems to be all-pervasive, striking at individuals of all ages across the globe. For somen, the problem initiates from a genetic pre-condition, exacerbated by indolence or obesity. However, some people are lucky enough to be carriers of a single gene variant that provides added protection against both type 2 diabetes and heart disease, according to a new study in America.
The study has found that those individuals who have this trait are not completely immune to either of the conditions, yet of a study group of almost 8,000 they were found to be 48 per cent less likely to suffer. Genes are thought to play a major role in determining the conditions, although neither is inherited.
One expert involved in the study was reported as saying: “we do know there are genes that make people more susceptible to becoming diabetic if they’re exposed to the right environmental factors.” To conduct the study, the team investigated medical and genetic records following evidence in mice.
Those people found to possess the gene (4.3 per cent) were also found to have 12 per cent lower levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream. Triglycerides are a dangerous type of blood fat, should a genetic pre-combination direct them in a certain way. The results of the study have implications in the fight against diabetes… according to one expert “if you could emulate what this form of this gene is doing, maybe you could lower someone’s risk of heart disease or diabetes by copying the same type of physiological effects.”