Novel Loci Tied to Fasting Glucose Levels in Children

Effect size of fasting glucose loci in children and adolescents comparable to that of adults

THURSDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- Novel fasting glucose loci previously identified in adults may be associated with altered fasting glucose levels in healthy children and adolescents, according to a review published in the June issue of Diabetes.

Adam Barker, from Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, U.K., and colleagues examined whether the recently identified common genetic variants associated with fasting glucose or insulin levels in adults who did not have diabetes were detectable in healthy children and adolescents. Six studies, including more than 6,000 children and adolescents of European origin aged 9 to 16 years, which analyzed genotypes of 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with fasting glucose, were included in the meta-analyses.

The investigators identified nine loci in healthy children and adolescents which were associated with glucose levels. Of these, four loci were previously documented and five were newly identified (GLIS3, PROX1, SLC2A2, ADCY5, and CRY2). The effect sizes of the loci did not differ from those of adults, suggesting age-independent effects. Decreased β-cell function was seen in individuals carrying glucose-raising alleles of G6PC2, MTNR1B, GCK, and GLIS3. For each unit increase in the weighted risk score, there was an increase of 0.026 mmol/L in fasting glucose level.

"Novel fasting glucose loci identified in studies of adults are associated with fasting glucose levels in healthy children and adolescents with effect sizes comparable to adults for individual and combined SNP associations," the authors write.

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