HYDERABAD: Scientists from CCMB contributing to 'DIAMANTE' a worldwide study on Type-2 diabetes, have found that diabetes prevalence in India is 15 per cent to 16 per cent, much higher than in Europe where it is 4 per cent to 6 per cent.
The study is an attempt to determine the genetic differences between five ancestories - European East Asian, South Asians, Africans and Hispanics. The worldwide study has analysed 1.8 lakh people with Type-2 diabetes along with 11.6 lakh people with no diabetes to find out what makes someone prone to it.
From India, nearly 22,000 individuals were analysed of which roughly 10,000 were analysed by the CCMB. "Diabetes prevalence in India is 15-16 per cent whereas for Europe, it is four to six per cent, which is what triggered this thought that what is going on in the genetic level that makes Indians more prone to the disease," said Dr Giriraj R Chandak, Chief Scientist at CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.
Dr Chandak explained that with the current study they have found the likely difference in genetic makeup between Europeans and between Indians, which might help find what makes Indians more susceptible.
"These results pave the way towards development of ancestry-specific genetic risk scores for risk prediction in different populations and have immense implications for Indians, where every sixth individual is a potential diabetic," said Dr Chandak.
He envisions that if in future the cohort size is increased for this kind of genetic level study of diabetes, the reason why some get diabetes, how it can be prevented, how it can be reversed from pre-diabetic stage etc can be found.
FAULT IN OUR GENES?
The study is an attempt to determine the genetic differences between five ancestories - European East Asian, South Asians, Africans and Hispanics.
From India, nearly 22,000 individuals were analysed of which roughly 10,000 were analysed by the CCMB