By Healthymagination | Posted October 20 2010
Alison Cool is a PhD candidate in Cultural Anthropology at New York University, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Sweden 2009-2010. She has previously blogged for style.com, interview.com, and fashionista.com.
Globally, 285 million adults are living with diabetes, estimates the International Diabetes Federation, which describes the disease as “undoubtedly one of the most challenging health problems in the 21st century.” It raises risk for joint and nerve problems, blindness, and amputations. And because high blood sugar can also harm blood vessels, about 75 percent of diabetics ultimately die from cardiovascular disease.
Scientists in Sweden, a world leader in biomedical research, are contributing to the effort to better understand the global diabetes epidemic. In fact, Umeå, a small town in Northern Sweden with a population of under 80,000 people, might help solve some of the mysteries of this complex disease, which affects about 1 in 25 Swedes—a rate that’s expected to rise sharply in the future.
Despite its small size, Umeå is home to a top-notch research university as well as one of the world’s largest medical biobanks. Earlier this year, scientists at Umeå University worked with researchers from 168 academic institutions all over the world to publish a major study in Nature Genetics identifying nine genetic defects that trigger high blood sugar. Several of these genes affect insulin levels and up risk for type 2 diabetes, the most common form.
Furthermore, the Umeå medical biobank, which contains almost 300,000 samples of blood, is a valuable resource for research on diabetes because of a special feature of the population of Northern Sweden. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are clearly linked, and yet the precise genetic mechanisms that underlie this connection are not as well understood. The study was one of the largest of its kind and involved scientists from 168 centers around the world.
Researchers in Umeå noticed that although the prevalence of obesity was rising in Sweden at a rate similar to the rest of Europe, the incidence of type 2 diabetes remained stable in the northern part of the country. A recent report in Human Molecular Genetics noted that, “studies which seek to determine the mechanisms that protect this population against the diabetes-inducing effects of obesity might yield important insights into diabetes prevention that are relevant to other populations.”
Follow-up studies are planned to investigate how diet and exercise can be used to modify how genes linked to diabetes function. As Swedish research teams continue to investigate the genetic factors influencing type 2 diabetes risk and the lifestyle and behavior factors that may help prevent it, we’ll continue to look to the north to help put together the pieces of the diabetes puzzle.
CONNECT THE DOTS
Find out more about diabetes by visiting the website for the American Diabetes Association, the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation or the World Health Organization’s Diabetes Programme. A recent study found that people at high risk for type 2 diabetes could delay or avoid the disease by losing weight through a low-fat, reduced calorie diet and regular exercise. The study also found that in some cases, medication can also trim risk.
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