Do the genes we inherit play any part in diabetes?

Type 1: This form is not inherited through the transfer of a single gene, but some people have genes that increase their likelihood of getting it. Several studies have shown that in identical twins (who have identical genes), only 25-60 per cent of both individuals get diabetes, thus strongly indicating that there are other non-inherited factors involved. Overall, a child with a mother with type 1 has a small increased risk of developing diabetes, amounting to 3 per cent, 9 per cent if it is the father. If both parents are affected, then the risk is significantly higher.

Type 2: This form tends to run in families more strongly than type 1. Detailed studies have shown that the chance of both identical twins developing diabetes can approach 100 per cent when followed over their lifetime. There are also a few well-studied families who pass on the disorder to some of their children through a dominant gene. This type of diabetes is called MODY, or Mature Onset Diabetes of the Young. In these cases, the disorder often emerges in childhood and has been linked to specific genes.