Diabetes prevention

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) can be prevented or delayed in individuals at high risk by adoption of healthful lifestyle and moderate weight loss or via medication-the most commonly used drug being metformin. This chapter focuses primarily on genetics in the context of lifestyle interventions to prevent T2D. We cover the main findings about the impact of risk variants at candidate genes and known T2D loci (derived from genome-wide association studies) on response to the lifestyle interventions and the few studies that have addressed genetic counseling for risk of T2D on motivation and behavior changes. We also summarize the limited data available on pharmacogenetics of metformin and acarbose in the diabetes prevention trials that included genetics investigations. For a fuller treatment of the pharmacogenetics of metformin.