The role of family history of diabetes as a predictor of insulin activity in a sample of diverse, normal weight children

Aims: This study aimed to examine the relationship between family history of type 2 diabetes and insulin activity in a diverse sample of normal weight children. Methods: Measures of fasting insulin, insulin sensitivity and acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg) were obtained from a multiethnic sample of normal weight children ages 7-12 years (n=199). Multiple linear regression was used to determine the effect of family history of type 2 diabetes on the variables of interest. All models were adjusted by age, sex, pubertal status, ethnicity, waist circumference and total grams of carbs. Results: Family history of type 2 diabetes was a significant predictor of fasting insulin (p=0.04). There were no significant differences in age, sex, ethnicity, BMI percentile, pubertal stage, or body composition between children with and without a family history of diabetes. Conclusions: Family history of diabetes is a significant predictor of fasting insulin in a cross-sectional group of children who are normal weight. These results contribute to the further understanding of the relationship between family history and type 2 diabetes risk, which could be utilized to develop earlier detection of dysglycemia and unique disease prevention strategies for at-risk children.