Scientists say genes are key to diabetes mystery
YAKUB QURESHI
yqureshi@scotlandonsunday.com
SCOTTISH scientists believe they may have unlocked the mystery of why girls are more likely than boys to develop a new type of diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity and has become a major health concern around the world as more and more children are diagnosed with the condition.
Until now, it was not clear why girls were more likely to get the disease, but joint research at the universities of Dundee and Plymouth has discovered that the basic genetic make-up of females makes them more vulnerable.
Studies over the past three years showed that primary school-aged children showed vast differences in the way in which their bodies absorbed insulin, which is a key chemical produced to help distribute energy throughout the body.
One of the main reasons for people developing diabetes is that their bodies become resistant to insulin, and sugars and other nutrients are not effectively received.
Type 2 diabetes has traditionally been linked to adults but recent studies show large numbers of children are developing the disease as a result of increasing obesity levels.
Dr Mike Murphy, a researcher at the University of Dundee’s molecular and cellular biology department, said girls were up to twice as likely to develop this form of the illness as boys because of their inherent genetic make-up.
He said: "There is an epidemic of obesity at the moment, and child obesity in particular. The significance of that is that it is increasing the risk of other things like diabetes and high blood pressure. When we decided to look at diabetes in young people the gender difference was very clear to us.
"The thing that is the most likely explanation for that is that girls carry genes for insulin resistance, which could be something connected to sex steroids which carry out different functions in the body and have the unintended effect of making them more susceptible."
The findings of the study showed that insulin resistance was 35% higher in girls than in boys.
http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=126642004
Scientists Say Genes Are Key To Diabetes Mystery 
