Can diabetes really be inherited?

dhruvi bhagat 18-Feb-2018 Image Source

Diabetes is the most common diseases in the world and it is also considered as one of the problems of the world.It is increasing in India day by day and especially in the urban areas of India.It had already affected 60 Million of Indians and the worst part is it also includes children.Diabetic parents always worry about the inheriting of diabetes to their children's.Diabetes doesn't have very simple inheritance pattern, there is surely some genetic influence. Adding tendency to some people to get diabetes, the environment also plays a major role.

1. Types of Diabetes

There are 2 types of diabetes that are type 1 and type 2.In type 1, the environmental factor could be revealed to some kind of virus or toxins, that may act as a trigger. Type 1 diabetes is more common in places having a cold climate.Type 1 is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes i.e. its treatment requires insulin injections. This type is found more or occurs in younger people. In type 2, the environmental factor could be due to over-eating coupled with a desk-bound lifestyle and Obesity is can be the condition which generally runs in families and so this condition tends to be strongly linked to ancestry.Type 2 is also known as the non-insulin dependent diabetes which can be controlled with tablets. This type mostly affects the older people due to unhealthy lifestyle patterns.Genes alone are not enough for the heredity cause of diabetes but also the environmental factor plays the major role.In both the type the genetic risk is there but in Type 2 diabetes the genetic risk or hereditary component of the disease is stronger compared to type 1.

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One fact of this is identical twins. Identical twins have identical genes. when one twin has type 1 diabetes it increases the likelihood condition in another twin by 10 to 20 percent only.but if the one twin has Type 2 diabetes then there are 90 percent chances to have diabetes to another twin.If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.Researchers are learning how to predict a person's odds of getting diabetes. If most ones with type 1 diabetes have genes called HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR4.if you have these genes then your child can also get it and risk are also higher.

So, from these, we know that the diabetes is hereditary but the chances of it not only depends on the genetics but also depends on the environmental factors and your lifestyle. If you have a desk-bound lifestyle and obesity then there is the risk to have diabetes to you due to the inactive routine.So, If you don't want to get diabetes then you need an active lifestyle which improves your health you can go for walking, cycling or swimming apart from the gym so that you can make yourself fit and active whole day and this exercise reduce the chances of diabetes.If you will make yourself fit then even your children will don't be inherited by diabetes.