High risk for Type 2 diabetes may someday be identified in kids by examining their DNA.
Diabetes is part of my family. My parents have it. All my grandparents had it. Numerous cousins, aunts and uncles have it. Those who haven't been diagnosed, are either resisting getting tested (although they display all the symptoms) or they are at very high risk.
On the other hand, my husband's family appears diabetes-free.
So a question that has weighed heavily on my mind: What are my son's chances for diabetes?
When I was pregnant, I went for genetic counseling and was informed of the chances of my son getting diabetes later in life. He has a better chance than most. We try to watch what he eats and we make sure he gets plenty of exercise.
However, what if a lab test showed he had genetic indicators (a DNA sequence) and a predisposition to Type 2 diabetes? Would I do anything differently? I think so. Diabetes education would become part of his life.
The Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , are providing funding for research, led by Nancy F. Butte of the Children's Nutrition Research Center, to try to find genetic biomarkers that could indicate a high-risk for Type 2 diabetes in children. They hope their studies will help develop science-based strategies for prevention.
Research is focused on the genes on a region of chromosome 13. This area had previously been found to influence fasting blood sugar levels. This was discovered by examining DNA and fasting blood sugar test results of 1,030 Hispanic children between the ages of 4 to 19 years old. This area had also been found to be associated with risk for obesity in adults.
The researchers will be conducting fine-scale DNA mapping and the results will be presented in October.
So my questions for you, my fellow involuntary diabetes war draftees, do you feel a diet and exercise education for my son is enough for now? Or should I be providing intense diabetes education as well? What do you currently do for your children?
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