Diabetes Testing Supplies News: New Gene Variant Discovery Excites Scientists

According to the CDC’s research, diabetes is one of the top five leading causes of death among America’s Latino population (Latinos and Diabetes). The majority of those that find themselves in that high-risk category tend to have type 2 diabetes. Because of that, some members of the scientific research community have long believed that the disease’s prevalence in the Latino community is connected to genetics. So they’ve been conducting research over the last few years to either prove or disprove their assumptions. On December 25, 2013, one of those research groups published its latest findings in Nature magazine.

The study’s test subjects included several groups known to have a high risk for developing diabetes, including those with Latin American ancestors. The scientists examined the subjects’ genetic makeup in the hopes of finding a common denominator that could be linked to the disease’s development. They did find such a genetic connection among Latin American participants.

The genetic marker shared by the study’s Latino participants is known as SLC16A11. It is a gene that is found in the liver and has an impact on lipid metabolism. In the test subjects, the gene had a variant, which caused it to function differently in Latin American test subjects as opposed to others.

Over the years, various studies have shown that the way a person’s body handles lipid metabolism may lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance, as you probably know, is one of the hallmarks of type 2 diabetes. That’s why the researchers’ discovery of the gene variant was deemed so vital to ongoing, type 2 diabetes research. It is hoped that having an understanding of which genes play a role in the disease’s development will eventually lead to the creation of new diabetes testing supplies and treatment options.

To learn more about diabetes testing supplies, disease development, and treatment options, please contact us. As a nationally accredited pharmacy, we have an array of diabetes resources that we are more than happy to share with those impacted by the disease. We also deliver reasonably priced, diabetic testing supplies throughout the nation.