Diabetes management goal of diabetes care, although recent research suggests that the complications of diabetes may be caused by genetic factors or, in type 1 diabetics, by the continuing effects of the autoimmune disease which first caused the pancreas to lose its insulin-producing ability. Because blood sugar levels fluctuate throughout the day and glucose records are imperfect indicators of these changes, the percentage of hemoglobin which is glycosylated is used as a proxy measure of long-term glycemic control in research trials and clinical care of people with diabetes. This test, the hemoglobin A1c or glycosylated hemoglobin reflects average glucoses over the preceding
Epigenetics of diabetes Type 2 Based on this study further investigation proved that if hypomethylation was induced, then the individual was far more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who led a healthy lifestyle. This proven presence of low methylation at certain sites could be used to diagnose diabetes 2 in individuals earlier in future treatment. Studies in 2011 have shown that insulin resistance (IR), the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, may also involve epigenetic control as a contributing factor. Promoter methylation of the mitochondrial transcription factor A(TFAM) gene, an important gene essential for mitochondrial DNA maintenance, was associated with IR in adolescents.