British Medical Bulletin 60:89-101 (2001)
© 2001 Oxford University Press
The role of genetic susceptibility in the association of low birth weight with type 2 diabetes
Department of Diabetes and Vascular Medicine, School of Postgraduate Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
We suggest that altered fetal growth and type 2 diabetes may be two phenotypes of the same genotype – in other words the ‘thrifty phenotype’ is the result of a ‘thrifty genotype’. Supporting this there is strong evidence that paternal factors and, therefore, genes influence fetal growth and that these paternal genes affecting fetal growth may also alter diabetes risk. Further study is needed to determine whether common gene variants can explain the association between reduced birth weight and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. If the genetic hypothesis is true, common diabetes genes are likely to have subtle effects on insulin secretion and/or action and, therefore, subtle effects on fetal growth. Large cohorts of infants and their parents will be required – probably in the region of thousands rather than hundreds – to identify gene variants that may explain the association between reduced birth weight and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. All previously described associations between birth weight and type 2 diabetes have required many hundreds of subjects and it is likely that the geneticists and the ‘programmists’ are trying to identify very subtle physiological effects.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  T Dwyer, L Blizzard, B Patterson, A-L Ponsonby, K Martin, S Quinn, M M Sale, S M Richards, R Morley, S Rich, et al. Association between birth weight and adolescent systolic blood pressure in a caucasian birth cohort differs according to skin type, CRH promoter or 11{beta}-HSD2 genotype Arch. Dis. Child., September 1, 2008; 93(9): 760 - 767. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. S. Slingerland and A. T. Hattersley Activating Mutations in the Gene Encoding Kir6.2 Alter Fetal and Postnatal Growth and Also Cause Neonatal Diabetes J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 2006; 91(7): 2782 - 2788. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. Arya, E. Demerath, C. P. Jenkinson, H. H.H. Goring, S. Puppala, V. Farook, S. Fowler, J. Schneider, R. Granato, R. G. Resendez, et al. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 6q influences birth weight in two independent family studies Hum. Mol. Genet., May 15, 2006; 15(10): 1569 - 1579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. L. Fowden, D. A. Giussani, and A. J. Forhead Intrauterine Programming of Physiological Systems: Causes and Consequences Physiology, February 1, 2006; 21(1): 29 - 37. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A L Fowden, D S Gardner, J C Ousey, D A Giussani, and A J Forhead Maturation of pancreatic {beta}-cell function in the fetal horse during late gestation J. Endocrinol., September 1, 2005; 186(3): 467 - 473. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. Matharu and S. E. Ozanne The Fetal Origins of Disease and Associations With Low Birthweight NeoReviews, December 1, 2004; 5(12): e522 - e526. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A Iliadou, S Cnattingius, and P Lichtenstein Low birthweight and Type 2 diabetes: A study on 11 162 Swedish twins Int. J. Epidemiol., October 1, 2004; 33(5): 948 - 953. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. Jovanovic Never Say Never in Medicine: Confessions of an old dog Diabetes Care, February 1, 2004; 27(2): 610 - 612. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|