Link between type 2 diabetes and economic conditions New research

If your parent’s economic conditions improved from poor to rich during your childhood then beware, you are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The strikingly high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes can be partially traced to rapid economic growth between 1950 and 1980, new research suggests.

The study tests the "thrifty phenotype" hypothesis, which suggests that if economic conditions present during foetal development improve dramatically during a persons childhood, the prospects of poor health in adulthood increase.

Diabetes is more common in African Americans/Indians than in white Europeans. According to the hypothesis, children whose parents endured being poor were unprepared biologically to manage the riches of processed foods and the more sedentary life that accompanied higher incomes. The resulting obesity leads to a high risk for multiple diseases.

"Its a clash between anticipated lifestyle and the lifestyle thats realized," said Richard Steckel,

distinguished university professor of economics, anthropology and history at The Ohio State University and author of the study. "If the thrifty phenotype hypothesis is correct, people with diabetes today should have had a socioeconomic history of moving from poverty to prosperity."

And that is what Steckels study showed. He investigated the relationship between state-based per-capita income growth and diabetes prevalence by state. The analysis indicated that the most dramatic improvements in household income from 1950 to 1980 were clearly associated with a higher prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. If future rates of diabetes can be predicted based on income history, "this message is dire for historically poor countries undergoing rapid growth," Steckel said. He also said the research has health-care implications, suggesting that doctors should collect data on patients socioeconomic background at the same time they take medical histories.

The research is published in the July/August issue of the American Journal of Human Biology.