Rejoinder: Genetic Research into the Causes of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a disease of substantial health and economic impact in Western societies. Its prevalence has drastically increased in the latter half of the 20th century, largely due to the ready availability of large quantities of calorie-rich foods and the technology-driven reduction in routine, daily exercise. Yet basic scientists repeatedly emphasize the prominent genetic basis for Type 2 diabetes mellitus, even though its widespread occurrence has appeared at a rate too fast to be accounted for by genetic change. This phenomenon emphasizes how the human gene pool has evolved as an adaptation to an ancient societal condition and when the environment changes rapidly both it and our genetic structure can contribute to the development of disease.