Diabetes is a chronic condition affecting thousands and millions of populations across the globe. There are several factors that contribute towards the risk of getting diabetes. In this article, we shall explore more about the genetic and hereditary causes that lead to type 1 and type 2 diabetes in individuals.

Let us delve deep and analyze how genetic factors cause diabetes in individuals.

Genetics and Type 1 Diabetic Risks

Is type 1 diabetes genetic? Well, the answer to this question is yes as the following paragraph explains what are the chances of your developing type 1 diabetes condition due to genetic factors:

• If one of the children in a family is suffering from type 1 diabetes, there is a chance that the siblings of the child will develop the condition by the age of 50 years.

• There are 40 percent more chances that you will develop type 1 diabetes disease if your identical twin is suffering from the same.

• If you have a non-identical twin who has type 1 diabetes condition, the chances that you will develop the same increases by 15 percent.

• Your possibility of developing type 1 diabetes condition is 10 to 20 times more if either of your parents, siblings, or daughter has the condition.

• If your father has type 1 diabetes, there are 10 percent chances that the child will end up developing the condition. On the other hand, if the mother is 25 or fewer years of age and is diabetic at the same time, there are just 4 percent chances that the child will have the condition too. However, if the mother is older than 25 years of age, the risk of developing the condition is just 1 percent.

• If both the parents are suffering from type 1 diabetes condition, the chances that their child will develop it too increases by 30 percent.

• Finally, according to the American Diabetes Association, if you have type 1 diabetes as well as type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, the chances that your child will also have the two condition is as high as 50 percent.

Genetics and Type 2 Diabetic Risks

Is type 2 diabetes genetic? The answer is yes again. In fact, the genetic factors in type 2 diabetes are stronger as compared to those in type 1 diabetes. The following paragraph explains what are the chances of your developing type 2 diabetes condition due to genetic factors:

• If both of your parents have type 2 diabetes, the chances that you will develop the condition too happens to be somewhere around 50 percent.

• In fact, as per the American Diabetes Association, if one of your parents has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before the age of 50, the chances that you will develop the condition as well, is every 1 out of 7.

• As per the American Diabetes Association, if one of your parents has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after the age of 50, the chances that you will develop the condition as well, is every 1 out of 13 individuals.

• If both your parents suffer from type 2 diabetes, the chances of you developing the condition increase by 75%.

• There are as much as 90 percent more chances that you will develop type 2 diabetes if your identical twin suffers from the condition too.

• However, if your non-identical twin has type 2 diabetes, the risks of you developing the condition is increased by just 10 percent.

Identification of Genes That Cause Type 1 Diabetes

In this paragraph, we shall try to understand the very science which might be the reason behind type 1 diabetes condition.

As per a few types of research, the presence of Human Leukocyte Antigen complex on chromosome 6 is considered to be the genetic contributor towards causing type 1 diabetes.

On the other hand, a few types of researchers are of the view that the genes responsible for the same are HLA-DR. They are of the view that the gene responsible for type 1 diabetes in Caucasians is the gene variant HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR4 and that in blacks, it is the variant HLA-DR7 which increases the risk of getting type 1 diabetes.

Identification of Genes That Cause Type 2 Diabetes

The genes responsible for causing type 2 diabetes are:

• GCGR
• TCF7L2
• GLUT2
• ABCC8
• CAPN10 responsible for causing type 2 diabetes in Mexican-Americans.

Hence, as is clear from the above post, genes may play a vital role in causing type 1 and type 2 diabetes in both men and women. Having said that, it is important to remember that genes are not the sole factor that cause the condition. There is a host of other factors that lead to diabetes as well.

• Being obese or over weight.
• Lack of physical movements or exercise.
• Gestational diabetes in the past in women during pregnancy.
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
• High levels of cholesterol.
• Cardiovascular diseases.
• High blood pressure.
• High levels of fats and triglycerides in the body.

The above factors, if not controlled, makes genetic factors even worse and the chances of getting diabetes in such a scenario increase to a large extent.

How Can You Reduce the Risk of Your Family Member Getting Diabetes if You are Diabetic?

Whatever you suffer from you sure do not want to pass it on to your loved ones. Do you? Hence, if you have diabetes, ensure that your loved ones are following the below-mentioned guidelines so that they can avoid getting the disease and various complications associated with the same:

• Maintain your body weight and losing all the extra calories form a very important part of diabetes management. Even if you lose somewhere around 5 to 7 percent of your body weight, you can reduce the chances of getting diabetes. This is particularly true of type 2 diabetes.

• We have often pointed out the importance of eating healthy in order to manage diabetes. Eating food which contains a low glycemic index, have low levels of cholesterol, and gives you all the essential nutrients in the required amount plays a huge role in avoiding diabetes.

• Develop the habit of indulging in physical exercise regularly. Exercising at least five days a week for around half an hour is considered really helpful and healthy.

• Also, the family member should go for regular blood monitoring visits to the doctor.

Having realized that even the genetic factors can be controlled, it is imperative that the above-mentioned guidelines be made a part of your daily routine.

We hope that the above post has been able to answer most of your questions related to the relationship of diabetes with genes and hereditary factors. We should remember that genetic factors are not the only sole factors that cause diabetes. There is a host of other factors too, as seen above. Genes are just accelerators or initiators which increase the chances of an individual in getting diabetes. However, with proper precautions, it is possible to keep the same under control as well!!