Scientists from deCODE have found a genetic mutation that linked to Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is often connected to lifestyle and health issues, in particular, obesity. The disease affects about 200 million people worldwide.
DeCODE’s results show that 38% of Icelanders have inherited the mutation from one or both parents and 7% from one parent. Those who have the mutation from one parent are 40% more likely to develop the disease than those who do not have the mutation, while people who have inherited the mutation from both parents are 150% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. The mutation accounts for 20% of all cases of the disease.
Kári Stefánsson, deCODE’s CEO, says it is not unlikely that a simple diagnostic blood test will become available within the next 2 to 3 years to assess whether a person has the mutation. “If the test becomes widely available all over the world, it need not be terribly expensive,” said Stefánsson in an interview with daily Morgunbladid newspaper.
