Researchers have identified a new set of genes that may increase risk for type 1 diabetes. Type 1 is the form of the disease that occurs when the body produces little to no insulin, the hormone that helps the body keep blood-sugar (glucose! levels in check. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day.
Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia tapped into six large databases encompassing 10,000 people with type 1 diabetes and 17,000 people without diabetes for comparison.
The databases contained information on (yes, it's a mouthful!) single-nudeotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are changes in a DNA sequence. SNPs are not disease-causing genetic mutations. Instead, they serve as signposts that alert scientists to particular gene regions associated with a disease.
The researchers located three new SNPs and confirmed the existence and location of other SNPs. The three new SNPs add to 50 that had been identified previously and are thought to be linked to type 1 diabetes
-Source: The medical journal Public Library of Science Genetics; Children's Hospital of Philadephia
Good Neighbor Pharmacy, October 2012
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