foodconsumer.org: Diabetes genes linked to lipid metabolism

Diabetes genes linked to lipid metabolism
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admin on 12/29/2009 00:51:00
 
By David Liu
It has been genetically proved now that certain metabolic conditions are linked
to risk of diabetes.  Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered
gene variants some of which are known to affect diabetes mellitus risk may
affect the lipid metabolism as well.
Professor Karsten Suhre conducted a study, which appears in the current online
issue of the journal Nature Genetics, and identified variants in nine genes
which may be associated with disturbances in the lipid metabolism.
Suhre and colleagues have also associated some variants of genes such as MTNR1B
and GCKR that have been already linked early to diabetes with changes in the
lipid metabolism.
These newly identified genetic variants may serve as biomarkers for the early
detection and potentially therapy of serious metabolic diseases such as
diabetes.
For the study, blood samples from 1,800 participants of the KORA population
study were tested for the concentrations of 163 metabolic products.
Based on the data from the testing of the blood samples, the researchers
examined the metabolic profiles for a possible association with common gene
variants or SNPS and then confirmed the associations in other studies.
Individuals with different gene variants were found to have different levels of
enzymatic activity and different concentrations of metabolites.
Lipid metabolism is linked to body fat and probably also to the risk of
diabetes.  It has been known that obese individuals are at high risk of diabetes
mellitus.  Some of the gene variants may just be the missing link between
certain metabolic conditions and risk of diabetes.
Diabetes affects an estimated 20 million Americans.  And the health problem is
on the rise and there is no known way to stop the trend.