Diabetes inheritability is complicated. It seems that there are people at a higher risk of developing the disease when they have relatives who have it. With that said, it’s not considered inheritable.
Some people can inherit a mutation in one of the genes that play an active role in their immune system. This mutation is what gives them a higher chance of developing diabetes. However, what trigger the disease is usually found in the environment. This culprit does so by activating the immune system. This could be a poor diet and obesity or a virus. For instance, those carrying a variation of the HLA-DR gene are more likely to get type 1 diabetes.
There are certain viruses that use the same gene in their DNA. When the immune system develops antibodies to the virus, it may overreact and start attacking the pancreas in people with HLA-DR. This is because their insulin producing beta cells contain this same gene. Eventually, the immune system destroys all of the beta cells and these people become diabetic.
The Risks of Developing Diabetes
Your risk goes up when a close relative is diagnosed. For instance, if one of your siblings and both parents have type 2 diabetes, you have roughly a 50 percent chance of developing it yourself.
Those who have an immediate relative with type 1 diabetes have a 10 to 20 times higher chance of developing the same disease compared to the rest of the population.
[trendingtopicsrelated]
Why Does it Run in Families?
Diabetes may appear to ‘run in the family’ for a number of reasons. These can include:
- Genetic predisposition
- Shared lifestyles
- Shared diet
Family members live together and often share similar habits and eat the same foods. A poor diet and sedentary lifestyle could increase the chances of a diagnosis for multiple people in the household.
This disease is also very common. As of 2014, there were an estimated 29.1 million people with diabetes in the United States. Random clustering may account for the chances of two or more family members getting sick.
It’s Not Certain!
This doesn’t mean that you will certainly develop diabetes. Genetic research alone shows that it’s not a guarantee. The percentages only show the chances compared to the rest of population. For many people, these risks are offset by positive environment and lifestyle factors. There is plenty of evidence that losing weight, maintaining a good diet, and exercising can delay or prevent its onset.
[article2]
[expand title=”References“]
Genetics & Diabetes : What’s Your Risk? URL Link. Accessed August 10th, 2017.
Genetics of Diabetes. URL Link. Accessed August 10th, 2017.
2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report. URL Link. Accessed August 10th, 2017.
[/expand]
