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Children are more likely to develop Type 1 diabetes if a parent has it, study shows
A new study found that children of parents with Type 1 diabetes are more likely to be affected by the chronic disease, but fathers with the condition have a different impact on the child’s health than the mother.
Diabetes can cause several health issues. Though poor lifestyle choices are the main culprit, it can also be caused due to factors beyond your control, such as genes.
Fathers with Type 1 diabetes twice as likely to pass on the condition
One of the biggest studies that looked into Type 1 diabetes in parents and the risk of the same condition in children found that fathers with the condition are 1.8 times more likely to pass it on to the kid.
Whereas a mother with the same disease protects the child against it in the early years, whose effects extend into adult life. The research was conducted on a total of 11,475 participants with TID, aged between 0 and 88.
They compared the data of respondents with fathers with TID versus mothers with the same condition and noted that almost twice as many individuals had an affected father compared to mothers. Not just in childhood, but people with affected fathers were more likely to have diabetes as adults as well.
The researchers concluded: “We report, in the largest study and first meta-analysis, evidence of relative maternal protection against type 1 diabetes in offspring as compared with parental type 1 diabetes, evident even into adulthood.”
Why the findings are critical
The findings of the study are critical in understanding maternal protection against the disease, which the researchers aim to mimic in the treatment of diabetes.
Cardiff Universitys Diabetes Research Group member, Dr. Lowri told the New Atlas: “Further research is needed but ultimately, we hope that it might be possible in the future to offer treatments at the very earliest stages of life to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes in individuals who are at particularly high risk of the disease.
Diabetes is of different types depending on the factor causing it. In people who suffer from Type 1 diabetes, the blood glucose levels are high from the body’s immunity system attacking the pancreas, which is responsible for insulin-producing cells. This condition usually requires the patients to take insulin every day.
Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes is others are often the result of poor lifestyle and dietary choices, causing the blood glucose level to be higher than usual. A naturopathic doctor claims you can “reverse diabetes” or its symptoms in simple steps that are easily achievable. But, if you experience any symptoms of diabetes or notice a spike in your blood glucose, we advise you to see a doctor before changing your lifestyle to beat the disease.
