What are the chances of our baby having diabetes?
Barlow asked:
Right now I’m sort of seeing the man I hope to marry and the other day we brought up the subject of babies. We discussing that there may be a high risk if we had children that one of our babies would have diabetes. Diabetes runs in my family and I believe it runs in his. He is a diabetic and I’m not. We figure we are in a very high risk category, but since at this time we’re not married or planning to have kids yet we haven’t asked a doctor. We would both like your opinions and answers.
Exercise Those Inches Off!
100% positive asolutely possible, probable no even with the genetics included
Take Off The Pounds
It depends on which type of diabetes. Type II is definately hereditary and the child will have a greater likelihood of developing that later in life if that is which type you are talking about – especially if they have a poor diet and do not exercise. However, 90% of children with Type I do not have a relative with it, yet, if a parent has it, I believe they have a 20% chance vs the 5% chance that a child with no family history has.
Exercise Those Inches Off!
Slim, if you ask me. Even slimmer if you avoid cow’s milk and keep the baby healthy. Especially if your future hubby is type 2. See my diabetes info webpage under type 1 for more on this very serious issue:
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Is it the SAME Type of diabetes in both families? The genetics for Type 1 and Type 2 are completely unrelated. If one family has Type 1 and the other Type 2, the child is at an increased risk of either form, but it does not “doubly” increase the risk of either in that case. Two different diseases.
Type 2 diabetes does have a strong genetic link. However,in most cases, Type 2 diabetes can be prevented with a healthy diet, maintaining normal weight, and exercise, so it isn’t a huge issue. If his family has a RARE form of Type 2 called MODY, the risk is about 50% of passing it on. In this case, see a genetic counsellor. In most cases, children NEVER have to get Type 2 if they maintain a healthy lifestyle.
If it’s autoimmune Type 1 diabetes you are concerned about (the severe non-preventable kind that always requires insulin), then the risk is usually 2-5% for a mother passing it on, and 7% for a father passing it on. The risk of BOTH parents having Type 1 is about a 30% chance of passing it on. I assume the risk for you would be in the range of 30% up to even 50% if there is a large family history of Type 1 diabtes and other autoimmune diseases, especially on both sides. It’s a bit of a grey area. The risk is much higher than the general population risk for Type 1 diabetes (.5%), but not 100%.
There is a study called TRIGR that is looking at ways to prevent Type 1 in infants at risk. You can ask your doctor or go to their website.
Putting your infant on a gluten (wheat, barley, oats) and casein (cow’s milk) free diet from birth may help delay or prevent Type 1 diabetes in *some* infants. The data is inconclusive on this, but in your case it can’t hurt. In the TRIGR study, infants are fed a special formula in which the whole casein proteins are broken down.
I would also suggest you see a genetic counsellor.
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Would it matter to you if you had a child with diabetes ?
I don’t see a problem.
Healthy Eating
Type 2 runs in my family and my husband’s family. My father, and my husband’s mother as well as others on both sides. I have Type 1, I have 4 children aged 7-18 and they are all healthy with no blood sugar problems at this time.