Hip size in women would determine diabetes risk
Women with wide hips would haveless risk of developing type 2 diabetesthan other women, who are thinner! Yes, yes, it’s not a dream. In any case, this is what would affirm a recent study conducted by King’s College London and presented recently at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics 2015 in Baltimore in the United States(1).
The study
The study is still quite complex. The researchers were able to identify a variation in the KLF 14 gene. It is THIS gene that regulates all the other genes responsible for controlling the amount and location of fat storage in women. This variant would determine the silhouette, as well as the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders.
There would be different effects depending on the variant of the KLF 14 gene. Indeed, depending on the variant, fat would accumulate around the hips, such as abdominal fat for example, giving a pear-shaped silhouette. This variant would decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. Another variant, associated with a decrease in central fatwould increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Of course, this genetic difference in risk is small, but the researchers remain confident about their discovery. The ultimate goal is to be able to accurately determine the genes influencing the risk of type 2 diabetes and overweight in women. This would make it possible, in the future, to develop personalized prevention and treatment measures, thus making them more effective.
Why Women
Researchers are investigating why this phenomenononly applies to women.
Perhaps a higher level, in women, of the precursor of the KLF 14 protein. Which would claim that there is some kind of threshold effect on the risk of diabetes, and that men would rarely reach this threshold.
The 2nd possibility would be another gene or another sex-specific protein, and which would react with the KLF 14 protein, allowing to increase or decrease its rate.
This study is therefore to be deepened in the future, but it still opens doors to the more complete management of diabetes as well as better prevention. It would also allow the development of more effective treatments.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.