Children are almost twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes if their father has the condition rather than their mother.
Research suggests that exposure to type 1 diabetes in the womb provides long-term protection for children of affected mothers compared to those of affected fathers.
A meta-analysis of five studies involving 11,475 individuals with type 1 diabetes showed a higher likelihood of having a father with the condition than a mother.
Genetic risk scores were used to compare inherited genetic risk of type 1 diabetes in individuals with affected mothers and fathers.
Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind relative maternal protection against type 1 diabetes and potentially develop new preventive treatments.
New research presented at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes reveals that a child is almost twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes if their father has the condition compared to if their mother has it. The study, the largest of its kind, indicates that exposure to type 1 diabetes in the womb may provide long-term protection against the condition in children with affected mothers. This finding could pave the way for new treatments to prevent type 1 diabetes, offering hope for individuals with a family history of the autoimmune condition.
The research, conducted by experts from Cardiff University and the University of Exeter Medical School, analyzed data from various studies to investigate the risk of type 1 diabetes in individuals with affected mothers and fathers. Results showed that individuals with fathers with type 1 diabetes were almost twice as likely to have the condition compared to those with affected mothers. The study also highlighted that the relative protection offered by having a mother with type 1 diabetes extends into adulthood, with further research needed to determine what factors during pregnancy contribute to this protective effect. These findings could potentially lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches for preventing type 1 diabetes in high-risk individuals at the earliest stages of life.
