Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 Since Type 2 diabetes is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia as a result of impaired pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues, it was thought that the gene might be downregulated in type 2 diabetes patients through DNA methylation. The defects in pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues were thought to be the result of impaired ATP production from reduced oxidative phosphorylation. It was found that the mRNA expression of PPARGC1A was markedly reduced in pancreatic islets from type 2 diabetic donors compared with that of non-diabetic donors. Using bisulfite testing, it was also
Lifestyle causes of diabetes mellitus type 2 curtailment". Research also suggests intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or prenatal undernutrition (macro- and micronutrient) as another probable factor. Studies of those who were small or disproportionately thin or short at birth, or suffered prenatal exposure during period of famine such as the Dutch Hunger Winter (1944–1945) during World War II, have shown that they are prone to higher rates of diabetes. Environmental toxins may contribute to recent increases in the rate of type 2 diabetes. A weak positive correlation has been found between the concentration in the urine of bisphenol A, a constituent of some plastics, and the incidence of