Researchers have found a genetic link between low birth weight and the risk of going on to develop Type 2 diabetes in later life. The team analysed over 38,000 Europeans from 19 studies of pregnancy and birth and found that two genetic variants showed strong associations with birth weight.
It had previously been discovered that babies who take on a certain genetic variant in a gene called ADCY5 are at a 25% higher risk of future Type 2 diabetes than babies who do not inherit it. This latest study shows that the babies who inherit the genetic variant also weigh less at birth. Mark McCarthy, one of the lead researchers from the University of Oxford, said: “It was a surprise to see such strong genetic effects for a characteristic, such as birth weight… these discoveries provide important clues to the mechanisms responsible for the control of growth in early life and may lead us to a better understanding of how to manage growth problems during pregnancy.”
