Diabetes Inheritance

Money, property, traditions and faith are all parts of inheritance which we treasure. Diabetes can be in our genes, but it is most unwelcome!

Type 1 diabetes is entirely inherited. It is a defect of the immune system, which makes it attack insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Infants are born with Type 1 diabetes and it stays with them for life. There is no cure as yet, though the condition can be managed well with artificial insulin.

Some families also have a tendency towards obesity. This increases their chances of developing a degree of pre-diabetes due to insulin resistance. The latter means that the pancreas functions, but body cells are not able to use available insulin and move glucose out of blood.

Food habits at family meal tables, and the contents of refrigerators, determine familiarity and likes that children develop for foods. These habits stay with us in adult life. Salt, fat, and sugar are the three most dangerous items which influence taste, and increase chances of type 2 diabetes.

Parents also influence physical activity habits of their children. Adults who love sports and outdoor activities are likely to transmit their enthusiasm to their children, whereas other may allow their young ones to become ‘couch potatoes’ and excessively studious.

Type 2 diabetes can be kept away, no matter how strongly it may run in a family. Children of obese parents can make conscious diet and lifestyle choices, and enjoy normal blood glucose metabolism. Adults and children, at the same time, may develop pre-diabetes, though there is no family history in this regard. Pre-diabetes, if ignored or undiagnosed, will develop in to full-blown type 2 diabetes over time.

It is all in our hands!

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