Early origins of diabetes: an update from the EarlyBird study

Abstract

The EarlyBird diabetes study has followed over 300 healthy children and their parents for 12 years. The aim has been to understand which children would be most at risk of adult onset diabetes. Repeated measures in the same individuals reveal trends which may be associated with diabetes risk, and will help determine the direction of causality. This report draws on 12 years of EarlyBird data, giving an insight into diabetes risk in three areas:

•	Trends in both insulin supply (secretion) and demand (tissue resistance) over the period of pubertal development affect diabetes risk. This paper compares insulin resistance and beta cell function in children who develop impaired fasting glucose with those whose glucose levels remain within the normal range.
•	Epigenetics is a new area of research. While genetic make-up cannot change, the way genes are expressed (turned on or off) can vary in relation to environmental stressors. This paper reviews preliminary analyses of epigenetic variation in a gene associated with diabetes risk, and how this variation affects adiposity during childhood.
•	The association between low mood (tendency towards depression) and diabetes risk in teenagers is explored.

Keywords:

• Type 2 diabetes
• insulin resistance
• children
• adolescents
• diabetes risk
• mood
• epigenetics
• beta cell function