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 that becomes diabetic falls under these categories. However, what has become clear is that there are multiple loci which increase a person’s susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes. One study examined a multitude of papers, creating a detailed list of epigenetic modifications and loci associated with Type 2 diabetes. Prominent among these, was DNA methylation, or lack thereof. After examining Type 2 diabetes patients, it was found that levels of homocysteine were exceptionally high when compared to levels in individuals without the disease. Homocysteine is an intermediate that is responsible for maintaining methylation reactions in critical metabolic processes. It can be