27 Jun Researchers Find Link Between Low Birth Weight and Adult Type 2 Diabetes

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Lu Qi

Lu Qi, MD, PhD, FAHA
HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and Professor
Director, Tulane University Obesity Research Center
Department of Epidemiology
Tulane University
School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
New Orleans, LA 70112

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Prenatal malnutrition and other stresses may cause small newborn babies, who are more likely develop type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases during adulthood. However, whether such relation is causal remains to be determined. Genetic associations provide a new approach to provide evidence for such causality.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Our data suggest the relation between low birthweight and diabetes risk may be causal.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: First, larger-sized, similar genetic analysis is urgently needed to validate the findings.

Second, our results would motivate more research to investigate the causes for fetal growth retardation, and the potential ways to promote prenatal health.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Diabetologia publication:

Low birthweight and risk of type 2 diabetes: a Mendelian randomisation study
Tiange Wang, Tao Huang, Yanping Li, Yan Zheng, JoAnn E. Manson, Frank B. Hu,  Lu Qi
Diabetologia doi:10.1007/s00125-016-4019-z)

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Last Updated on June 27, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD