{"id":1499060,"date":"2022-06-01T07:33:35","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T11:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1499060"},"modified":"2022-06-01T07:33:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T11:33:57","slug":"experts-weigh-in-on-whether-type-1-diabetes-is-genetic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/experts-weigh-in-on-whether-type-1-diabetes-is-genetic\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts Weigh in on Whether Type 1 Diabetes is Genetic"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexperts-weigh-in-on-whether-type-1-diabetes-is-genetic%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1499060&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nExperts have identified some of the gene mutations that contribute to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/type-1-diabetes\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">type 1 diabetes<\/a>, but there are certainly more waiting to be discovered. But the genes are only <em>part<\/em> of the story. Most experts believe that specific gene mutations only <em>predispose<\/em> you to develop type 1 diabetes while additional environmental factors are needed to activate those genes.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-2\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\n&#8220;There&#8217;s a really strong genetic component but it&#8217;s not the only thing going on,&#8221; Leann Olansky, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic tells <em>Health<\/em>. &#8220;There are environmental conditions that trigger the process.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-4\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nHere&#8217;s what we know about the complicated genetic portrait of type 1 diabetes.\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-6\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block healthdotcom-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-universal-image figure-landscape figure-high-res\"><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_1-0\" class=\"comp type--mouse mntl-figure-caption figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-owner\">Getty Images<\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-what-is-type-1-diabetes\"><\/span> <\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-8\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nType 1 diabetes is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/autoimmune-disease\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">autoimmune disease<\/a> which interferes with one of biology&#8217;s most fundamental processes: making sure sugar is available to fuel our bodies.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-10\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nIn a nutshell, a rogue immune system mistakenly destroys the pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin. We need insulin to move sugar from food out of our blood and into cells where it is stored for energy. Without insulin, sugar levels rise to stratospheric levels and can lead to coma and even death.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-12\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nType 1 diabetes is a lifelong disease which requires lifelong insulin replacement therapy to manage it.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-is-there-a-diabetes-gene\"><\/span> <\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-17\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nScientists have not identified one gene which causes type 1 diabetes. Instead, they&#8217;ve discovered mutations in a tribe of genes called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex. Specific combinations of these mutations (called a haplotype) seem to confer a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-19\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\n&#8220;These mutations are associated with changes in one&#8217;s immune system which stimulates an autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas leading to type 1 diabetes,&#8221; Deena Adimoolam, MD, a specialist in endocrinology and preventative medicine in New Jersey tells <em>Health<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-21\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nSpecifically, these genes, which are located on chromosome 6, help the immune system identify which compounds are natural to the body and which shouldn&#8217;t be there. Without this ability, the immune system has no way to tell which compounds are friend and which are foe.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-23\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nThis same gene complex is also involved in other autoimmune diseases, which may explain another feature of type 1 diabetes.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-27\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\n&#8220;Patients with type 1 diabetes can have other autoimmune diseases,&#8221; says Dr. Olansky. &#8220;They probably have a similar pathway.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-29\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nBut the changes in HLA genes only explain about 40% of the genetic risk for type 1 diabetes. There are other genes that can not only increase the risk but also lower the risk. &#8220;There are a lot of other genes that modify that risk and make it greater or lesser,&#8221; says Dr. Olansky.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-31\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nThe genes are most often present in Caucasian people, which makes sense because type 1 diabetes cases are overwhelmingly among white people. A specific gene mutation (HLA-DR7) may raise the risk for African Americans, while HLA-DR9 may heighten the risk for Japanese individuals.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-33\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nOne form of diabetes, called MODY (maturity-onset diabetes of the young), is clearly caused by variations in certain genes. Although MODY has many features of type 1 diabetes, it is not identical.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-is-type-1-diabetes-hereditary-in-families\"><\/span> <\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-36\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nThe gene variations responsible for type 1 diabetes are passed down in families. &#8220;The lifetime risk of developing T1DM is significantly increased if one has a family history of type 1 diabetes,&#8221; says Dr. Adimoolam. &#8220;One study suggests that the risk of developing T1DM with no family history is 0.4%. If there is one parent with T1DM, the risk off their child developing T1DM increases to 3%-4%.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-38\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nIf your mother or father has type 1 diabetes, your risk of getting it is about 5%, versus only 1% in the general population, says Dr. Olansky.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-42\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nBut even among identical twins, the risk isn&#8217;t equal. If one twin develops type 1 diabetes, then the other twin has a 50% chance of also developing the condition.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-44\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nThat means other issues are at play. &#8220;You can have the gene and be relatively protected until circumstances arise that trigger it,&#8221; says Dr. Olansky.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-are-there-environmental-triggers-for-type-1-diabetes\"><\/span> <\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-47\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nAbout 25% of Caucasians have HLA types that are clearly associated with the risk of type 1 diabetes, but only about 1% of the total population actually develops type 1, says Dr. Olansky. What&#8217;s more, only about 5% of those who have the actual mutations develop the condition.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-49\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nSo why do these gene mutations raise the risk for some folks and not for others?\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-51\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nAgain, experts&#8217; knowledge is still in its infancy, but there seem to be environmental triggers that set the genes in motion. No one knows exactly what those triggers are but there are a number of candidates.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-53\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nCertain pregnancy-related factors that have been associated with type 1 diabetes include having a mother older than 25 years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/pregnancy\/preeclampsia-symptoms-treatment\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">preeclampsia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/infectious-diseases\/coronavirus\/coronavirus-vertical-transmission\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">neonatal respiratory disease<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/pregnancy\/jaundice-in-newborns\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\">jaundice<\/a>, says Dr. Dr. Adimoolam.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-55\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nCertain viruses have also been implicated, namely<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/infectious-diseases\/measles-vaccine-adults\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\"> rubella<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/condition\/skin-conditions\/hand-foot-mouth-disease\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">coxsackievirus,<\/a> as has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/mind-body\/vitamin-d-health-risks\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\">vitamin<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/mind-body\/vitamin-d-health-risks\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"4\">D deficiency<\/a> and even exposure to cold weather.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-57\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\nBut just as no one gene explains type 1 diabetes, likely no one environmental trigger will either.\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0-59\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\n<em><strong>To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the <a href=\"https:\/\/pages.email.health.com\/newsletters\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Healthy Living<\/a><\/strong><\/em><strong> newsletter<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Experts have identified some of the gene mutations that contribute to type 1 diabetes, but there are certainly more waiting to be discovered. But the genes are only part<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":1499176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1499060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1499060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1499176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1499060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1499060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1499060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}