They recruited participants of the population-based cohort study "KORA" who showed gene variants with a higher risk for the development of diabetes without diabetes previously having been diagnosed, as well as further participants without an increased risk of diabetes.

All probands were subjected to metabolic stress. The food components, primarily sugars and fats, were administered either orally or intravenously, and the scientists then determined the concentration of 163 metabolites in the probands’ blood samples.

Thus specific metabolic effects could be proven, especially for carriers of the risk variant of the TCF7L2 genotype associated with an increased risk for the development of diabetes typ 2.

The findings provide data for a better understanding of the correlation between disease-associated genes and the development of diabetes, with an aim to recognising diabetes at an early stage.

Source and further information:
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078430
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11306-013-0586-x
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