Switch to हिंदी

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

हिंदी
  • Health A-Z
  • Diabetes
  • Diseases
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Type 2 Diabetes
    • Cancer
    • Heart Attack
    • Pneumonia
    • Diseases A-Z
  • Diet & Fitness
    • Weight Management
    • Exercise & Body Building
    • Diet & Recipes
    • Yoga
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Pregnancy
    • Conceiving
    • Infertility
    • Labour & Delivery
    • Pregnancy week-by-week
    • Breastfeeding
    • Baby Names
  • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Grooming
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home / Diseases-conditions / Diabetes / Diabetes: Epigenetic changes precede onset of the disease

Diabetes: Epigenetic changes precede onset of the disease

Epigenetic changes in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas can be detected in patients several years before the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Read on to know more.

By: Jahnavi Sarma   | | Updated: December 26, 2020 10:51 pm
Tags: Diabetes awareness  diabetes care  Diabetes diagnosis  Type 2 Diabetes Risk  
Diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diagnosis of diabetes
According to researchers, epigenetic changes in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas can be detected in patients several years before the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Several causes play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. These include a genetic predisposition, epigenetic factors as well as a diet high in fat and sugar, obesity and lack of exercise. In order to prevent the development of the metabolic disease, it is important to identify people with an increased risk for the metabolic disease at an early stage. Since the development of diabetes can also lead to functional disorders in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have investigated whether there are epigenetic changes in the islets of Langerhans that are related to the development of diabetes. Lund University also participated in the study. Also Read - Almost 30% of recovered COVID-19 patients develop complications within 5 months, over 12% die

Epigenetic changes happen years before diagnosis of type 2 diabetes

According to researchers, epigenetic changes in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas can be detected in patients several years before the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. These changes are responsible for the altered methylation activity of specific genes which differs from that in healthy individuals. In humans, 105 such changes have been discovered in blood cells. This was shown in a study by researchers from the DZD/DIfE, which has now been published in the journal Diabetes. These findings could help to develop diagnostic markers for type 2 diabetes. Also Read - Have a parent with type 2 diabetes? Here's how you can lessen your risk of getting the disease



Identifying early changes in DNA methylation

Researchers say that their aim was to identify early changes in DNA methylation and the expression pattern in the islets of Langerhans in a diabetes-prone mouse and then to test which of these can also be detected in the blood of humans before diabetes is diagnosed. For this purpose, obese mice were fed a high-calorie diet for five weeks and divided into diabetes-prone and diabetes-resistant animals on the basis of certain criteria (e.g. the liver fat content). The DNA methylations and expression patterns in the islets of Langerhans were determined for both groups. Researchers were able to identify 497 candidates which differed both in terms of their expression and their DNA methylation. Also Read - More than half of 20-year-olds in India's metros 'likely to develop diabetes' in lifetime

Altered levels of DNA methylation in 105 genes seen

The next step was to search for similar epigenetic changes in blood cells of participants in the EPIC-Potsdam study** (270 controls and 270 incident T2D cases on average 3.8 years before diagnosis). The researchers found altered levels of DNA methylation in 105 genes that were associated with the later diagnosis of diabetes. Most of these changes were also found in the islets of Langerhans in type 2 diabetes patients. The researchers assume that most of the alterations in DNA methylation that can be detected in the blood before diagnosis are still present in the islets of Langerhans later in the course of the disease.

Possibility of better diagnostics

The broad and translational research approach has identified a number of interesting genes whose expression and altered DNA methylation are associated with the later diagnosis of diabetes. In humans, 105 such differences can be detected in blood cells a few years prior to the diabetes diagnosis. This may open up the possibility of using some of these changes as diagnostic markers for type 2 diabetes in the future.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Published : December 26, 2020 10:14 pm | Updated:December 26, 2020 10:51 pm
Read Disclaimer

Yoga for Diabetes: Try these 5 asanas to keep your blood sugar under control

Yoga for Diabetes: Try these 5 asanas to keep your blood sugar under control

Covid-19 virus will stay with us for next 10 years: BioNTech CEO

Covid-19 virus will stay with us for next 10 years: BioNTech CEO

Please Wait. Article Loading ....

Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus Updates

Stay Informed, Be Safe

  • 'Game changer against Covid-19': Expert panel recommends phase 1 trial of Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine
  • COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,595,660 while death toll reaches 1,52,718
  • Obesity, alcohol consumption can lower effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines
  • Catastrophic moral failure: WHO warns against unequal COVID-19 vaccine distribution
  • Covid-19 vaccine alert: Covishield not advised to those allergic to any of its ingredients

Health Calculators

BMI Calculator
bmi Calculator
Ideal Body Weight
ideal body weight
Daily Calorie Intake
Daily calorie intake
Calories Burned
calories burned

Related Stories

Almost 30% of recovered COVID-19 patients develop complications within 5 months, over 12% die

Almost 30% of recovered COVID-19 patients develop complications within 5 months, over 12% die

Have a parent with type 2 diabetes? Here's how you can lessen your risk of getting the disease

Have a parent with type 2 diabetes? Here's how you can lessen your risk of getting the disease

Type 2 diabetes: Are you experiencing diarrhea? The lesser-known sign of the condition

Type 2 diabetes: Are you experiencing diarrhea? The lesser-known sign of the condition

More than half of 20-year-olds in India's metros 'likely to develop diabetes' in lifetime

More than half of 20-year-olds in India's metros 'likely to develop diabetes' in lifetime

Health News in Hindi

Boosting Immunity With Ayurveda: आयुर्वेद के ये 4 नुस्खे बढ़ाते हैं इम्यूनिटी, हर उम्र के लोगों के लिए हैं कारगर

Corona Vaccine: बिल्‍कुल कॉमन नहीं है कोरोना वैक्‍सीन के ये 5 साइड इफेक्‍ट, इनके दिखने पर हो जाएं गंभीर

LIVE Covid-19 Live Updates: भारत में कोरोना के मरीजों की संख्या हुई 1,05,95,660 अब तक 1,52,718 लोगों की मौत

कोविड-19 वैक्सीन को लेकर WHO प्रमुख ने दी चेतावनी, कहा- होने वाला है बड़ा नैतिक पतन

Covaxin से साइड इफेक्‍ट हुआ तो भारत बायोटेक देगा मुआवजा, जानिए कितनी मिलेगी राशि

Read All

Recent Posts

  • ‘Game changer against Covid-19’: Expert panel recommends phase 1 trial of Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine
  • COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,595,660 while death toll reaches 1,52,718
  • Obesity, alcohol consumption can lower effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines
  • Green Mediterranean diet could benefit people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Eluru-like mysterious illness emerges in Andhra Pradesh’s Pulla village

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com
+91 – 22 – 6697 1234
Landline Phone number 91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

Useful Links

  • Weight Loss
  • Keto Diet Tips
  • Skin Care Tips
  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Ashwagandha
  • Cancer
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dengue
  • Typhoid
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chickenpox
  • Chikungunya
  • Depression
  • Hepatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Swine Flu
  • Baby Names
  • Cough and cold
  • Heart Attack
  • Breast Cancer
  • Ebola Virus
  • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • International Yoga Day
  • Hypotension
  • Heart Failure
  • Asthma
  • Brain Tumour
  • Celebrity Fitness
  • Goitre
  • HIV/AIDS

We respect your privacy

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Author Profiles

Copyright © 2021 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.