Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
09:52
Generation of High Quality Chromatin Immunoprecipitation DNA Template for High-throughput Sequencing (ChIP-seq)
Published on: April 19, 2013
Polymorphisms associated with type 2 diabetes in familial longevity: The Leiden Longevity Study
Simon P Mooijaart1, Diana van Heemst, Raymond Noordam
1Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics , Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands. s.p.mooijaart@lumc.nl
Aging
|December 31, 2010
Summary
Genetic factors influence human longevity. In a study of long-lived offspring, researchers found their better glucose tolerance was not due to fewer type 2 diabetes risk alleles, suggesting unique longevity mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Metabolic Health
- Human Longevity
Background:
- Human longevity is partly genetic, with the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway implicated.
- Type 2 diabetes, a common metabolic disease, is increasingly linked to genetic polymorphisms.
- Offspring of long-lived individuals exhibit a healthier metabolic profile, including improved glucose tolerance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether offspring of long-lived siblings carry a reduced burden of type 2 diabetes risk alleles.
- To determine if genetic predisposition to longevity is associated with fewer diabetes risk variants.
- To explore the relationship between type 2 diabetes risk alleles and glucose metabolism parameters in a longevity cohort.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed 15 type 2 diabetes-associated polymorphisms using genome-wide association data from the Leiden Longevity Study (n=2415).
- Compared the frequency of risk alleles and the total burden of these alleles between offspring of long-lived individuals and their matched controls.
- Assessed the association of risk alleles with glucose and insulin levels, and tested for interaction effects between genotype and cohort status.
Main Results:
- A higher number of type 2 diabetes risk alleles correlated with increased diabetes prevalence and higher serum glucose levels across all participants.
- No significant difference was found in the frequency or total burden of tested type 2 diabetes risk alleles between offspring and controls.
- The association between diabetes risk polymorphisms and glucose levels did not differ between the offspring and control groups.
Conclusions:
- The enhanced glucose tolerance observed in offspring of long-lived individuals is not explained by a lower load of common type 2 diabetes risk alleles.
- These findings suggest that genetic mechanisms distinct from common type 2 diabetes risk variants contribute to human longevity.
- Further research is warranted to identify specific genetic factors promoting longevity and improved metabolic health.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Type II Diabetes I: Introduction
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance, in which target tissues such as the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue respond poorly to insulin. It is also associated with inadequate compensatory insulin secretion, where pancreatic β-cells fail to produce sufficient insulin. Together, these abnormalities lead to persistent hyperglycemia.EtiologyT2DM develops through a complex interaction of genetic predisposition and environmental or...
01:24Type II Diabetes II: Pathophysiology
PathophysiologyType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM ) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance and progressive pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, leading to impaired glucose homeostasis. It results from interactions among genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and metabolic stressors, such as overnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle.Insulin Resistance and Glucose DysregulationEarly T2DM involves insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and the liver.
02:20Longitudinal Research
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...
01:26Type I Diabetes II: Pathophysiology
Type 1 diabetes mellitus arises from an immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β-cells, resulting in an absolute deficiency of insulin. This process develops in genetically susceptible individuals when autoimmunity, environmental exposures, and immunologic dysregulation converge to trigger a targeted attack on the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. The β-cells are located within the islets of Langerhans and are essential for regulating blood glucose by facilitating cellular uptake of...
01:27Principles of Pharmacogenetics: Types of Genetic Variants
The human genome is over 99.9% identical between individuals, yet genetic differences exist at millions of bases. The human genome contains approximately 3 million variant positions per individual, many of which are heterozygous, contributing to genetic diversity and individual traits. Genetic variations include single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions, deletions, and copy number variations (CNVs).SNPs, the most common variation, involve single-base changes in DNA. These can be...