In an investigation conducted at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, researchers looked for the ENPP1 variant of a gene for a protein that normally blocks insulin in three different populations: South Asians living in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh; South Asians living in Dallas; and Caucasians living in Dallas. They studied this particular variation because it increases the insulin-blocking capabilities of the protein, thus increasing the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

South Asians were targeted for the study because previous research has shown people from that area of the world are more likely to develop diabetes, even if they are thin. This research led the investigators to speculate there may be a genetic component to the disease.

Researchers found the ENPP1 variant in 25 percent of the nondiabetic South Asians living in South Asia and 34 percent of those with diabetes. Thirty-three percent of the nondiabetic South Asians living in Dallas had the variant, compared to 45 percent of the diabetics. Among the Caucasians, 26 percent of the nondiabetics had the variation vs. 39 percent of the diabetics. Overall, the gene variation was as much as 13-percent more common in those with diabetes and those considered at risk for the disease.

Noting type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and is also a major public health problem worldwide, the authors believe testing people for the ENPP1 variant might be a good way to identify more people at risk of developing the disease so they can make appropriate lifestyle changes. Authors write, “The findings of this study provide evidence for the potential role of a genetic marker in the identification of persons at risk for type 2 diabetes.”