World Diabetes Day on November 14: Environmental pollutants and genes may be responsible for your diabetes

On this World Diabetes Day, it is important to know that variants in common genes and environmental pollutants may increase your risk of diabetes. Read on to know more.

A high level of glucose in the blood causes diabetes. It is a common health problem that has assumed epidemic proportions today. On the occasion of World Diabetes Day on November 14, let us look at the genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to the onset of this disease. But first, let us know what diabetes is.

There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. According to the World Health Organisation, both are 'caused by a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors'. This disease can lead to serious health complications including cardiovascular disorders, peripheral vascular problems as well as ocular, neurologic and renal abnormalities.

According to our expert Keith DeOrio, MD, DHOM, genetic susceptibility and environmental factors are at the top of the list of diabetes causes. He goes on to say that just depending on insulin and drug to prevent diabetes is not enough. This is because diabetes is a complex condition with many metabolic disturbances. He also stresses on the importance of a proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle for preventing and managing this condition.

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Variants in genes increase susceptibility to diabetes: Studies

According to researchers at the NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute, there are variants in a gene that may predispose people to type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. For the purpose of the study, researchers zeroed in on a wide stretch of chromosome 20. Earlier studies had identified this as a likely location for a type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene. They found four genetic variants, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Researchers say that all four SNPs cluster in the regulatory region of a single gene, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4A). This is a master switch that regulates the expression of hundreds of other genes. It turns genes on and off in many tissues, including the liver and pancreas. In the beta cells of the pancreas, it influences the secretion of insulin in response to glucose. Researchers concluded that a common variation in this gene can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by about 30 per cent.

Another study at the Lund University in Sweden shows that certain variants of the gene TCF7L2 make individuals more susceptible to type 2 diabetes. Researchers associated the susceptibility variants with 'increased expression of TCF7L2 in pancreatic islet cells and decreased islet cell secretion of insulin. Consistent with this, ectopic overexpression of TCF7L2 in human islet cells decreased insulin secretion in response to exposure to glucose'. This study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Environmental factors can increase risk of diabetes too: Experts

A study at the Stanford University Medical Center says that exposure to certain pesticides or chemicals and even one form of vitamin E may increase your risk of diabetes. Researchers say that the association of some of these so-called environmental cues with diabetes 'surpasses that of the best genetic markers scientists have identified for the disease'.

For the study, researchers identified a previously known association between people with type-2 diabetes and a class of organic compounds called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, commonly used for many applications until the late 1970s. They also uncovered a strong, but unexpected, relationship between diabetes and high levels of a form of vitamin E called gamma-tocopherol, which is prevalent in fruits, vegetables, nuts and milk. This study was published in the journal Diabetes.