Diabetes FAQ » Diabetes Q&A » I am diabetic, my mother and grandfather were diabetic, what are the odds of my children developing diabetes?

I am diabetic, my mother and grandfather were diabetic, what are the odds of my children developing diabetes?

Both type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 can be at least partly inherited through the genes. When looking at type 1 diabetes it is believed it is triggered either by some form of viral infection or in some even stress and environmental exposure to certain chemicals or drugs. Type 2 diabetes however have a much greater risk of inheritance and those who have relatives with type 2 are greatly at risk of also developing it. Obesity strongly linked to type 2 diabetes is strongly inherited as well.

In type 1 and type 2 diabetes there are two factors that must be considered in whether you will inherit it. First both types of diabetes can lead to a predisposition to the disease and second something in the environment must trigger the diabetes. So genes alone are not enough to guarantee your child will develop diabetes if you have it. Type 1 diabetes is considered less genetically inclined in most research but the risk factors increase because of environmental factors such as cold weather, viruses, gender, race and even earlier on whether a child s breast fed or not.Type 2 diabetes is considered to have the stronger genetic possibilities of the two diseases. A family history of parents with type 2 diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors but…this is mainly true in people who live a Western lifestyle Mainly due to the American and European diet which is high in fat and low in carbs.

When looking at genetic risk factors for diabetes it is generally acknowledged that type 2 passed on through the genes. This may be true but there are a lot of outside influences that also affect whether you will actually inherit type 2 diabetes. Diet is a prime risk factor for example: in non westernized countries such as Asia for example type 2 diabetes is rare and seldom passed on to future generations no matter how high their genetic risk appears. Other triggers also can play a part in whether diabetes is passed on. Obesity is a major risk for young people who’s parents may have diabetes. Women who have a family history of diabetes especially on their mother’s side are at risk to get gestational diabetes. However other non-genetic factors can play a role in gestational diabetes such as age and weight.

As a diabetic I am concerned about the risks of having children and passing on diabetes to them. So after doing some research these were the facts I came up with for the odds in off spring having type 1 diabetes: Male with type 1 diabetes the odds are 1 in 17 of passing it on. Female with diabetes and you give birth before you turn 25 your child’s risk is 1 in 25, after 25 it is reduced to 1 in a 100. Risk is doubled if you developed diabetes yourself before the age of 11 and if both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes then the risk jumps to between 1 in 10 and 1in 4. If you have thyroid or adrenal glad problems or immune system disorders the risk for type 1 diabetes in your child is 1 in 2. If you are white the risks are also higher than other races.

The risks and odds are different when it comes to whether you have type 1 or 2 diabetes as type 2 is more likely to run in families: This risk is both genetic and learning environment as children tend to learn eating habits and skills from parents and duplicate the risks of having their parents disease. Generally if a parent has type 2 the risk of a child having it is about 1 in 7 if you were diagnosed before the age of 50, 1 in 13 if diagnosed later than that. It is believed that if mother is the diabetic than the risk for child having diabetes is greater. If both parents have type2 the odds are 1 in 2 your children will also develop type2 diabetes.

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