Project summary
Bodyweight is one of many factors that influences risk of type 2 diabetes. But people with similar bodyweights can have different risks, so alone it doesn’t give us the full picture. Dr Hanieh Yaghootkar is looking at how genes influence where the body stores fat, and how different fat patterns may increase or decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications. Understanding this could help us to better predict who’s most at risk and lead to more effective, personalised care for people with or at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Background to research
Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition influenced by a mix of risk factors, including genetics, age, ethnicity and bodyweight. But not everyone with a higher bodyweight will develop type 2 diabetes. And people with lower bodyweights also develop the condition.
Dr Hanieh Yaghootkar has found evidence to show that how and where the body stores fat can help explain why people can have different risks of type 2 diabetes. And that this is influenced our genetics, which determine if our bodies decide to store fat in safer places: under the skin. Or in more harmful places: in and around organs.
She now wants to know if we can use these genes to better understand the links between obesity and type 2 diabetes, and help to predict who’s most at risk of type 2.
Research aims
Dr Yaghootkar will explore how genetically determined patterns of body fat influence the risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications.
The team will look at precise measures of body fat in different parts of the body among 60,000 people. They’ll then use artificial intelligence to identify different patterns of body fat storage, and pinpoint the genes that lead to these distinct patterns. They’ll work out how each pattern influences risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications, and if the genes could help to predict who is most at risk.
Finally, Dr Yaghootkar and her team will study 2,556 people with type 2 who have had weight loss surgery. They’ll see whether the genes behind their body fat patterns can help to predict chances of weight loss or type 2 diabetes remission.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
This research hopes to give us important new knowledge on the links between genetics, obesity and type 2 diabetes. By understanding why people are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes based on their body fat, we could improve how we identify who’s at risk and personalise their care tailored to their specific body fat patterns.
This could help to better prevent cases of type 2 diabetes, its complications and help people with or at risk of type 2 live healthier, happier lives. The findings could also help scientists to develop new drugs that target specific body fat patterns to reduce risks in the future.
