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Genes associated with higher risk for type 2 diabetes
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Researchers from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge have identified five genetic variants associated with higher levels of branched-chain amino acids and also with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, according to a press release from the university.
Claudia Langenberg, MD, PhD, and colleagues used large-scale genetic data and measurements of branched-chain amino acids (isoleucine, leucine and valine) to determine a link between genetic differences and type 2 diabetes.
In the studied participants (n = 16,000), five genetic variants were associated with higher levels of circulating branched-chain amino acids.
Researchers then looked at people with those genetic differences and found that in 300,000 individuals (including 40,000 with diabetes) there was elevated risk for type 2 diabetes. Researchers suggest that an impaired breakdown of these amino acids results from the genetic differences, which puts individuals at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
“Our results suggest that treatment strategies which target metabolism of branched-chain amino acids could help to reduce the risk of diabetes, and we already know which molecules target this metabolic pathway,” Langenberg said in a press release.
Disclosure: Langenberg receives a stipend as a specialty consulting editor for PLOS Medicine and serves on the journal's editorial board. Please see the full study for other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.