Healthy lifestyle lowers T2D hazard in genetically at-risk individuals

A genetic predisposition to low birth weight and childhood obesity contributes to an increased risk of adult type 2 diabetes (T2D), suggests a study. These risks can be modified by adherence to a healthy lifestyle in adulthood, particularly among those at high genetic risk of childhood obesity.

The authors estimated genetic risk scores (GRSs) for birth weight and childhood body mass index (BMI) with genetic risk categories according to their quintiles in 90,029 participants from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB; mean age 53.0 years) and 321,225 from the UK Biobank (UKB; mean age 56.1 years).

Health lifestyle scores, characterized by noncurrent smoking, moderate alcohol intake, healthful diet, regular physical activity, and nonobesity, were categorized as follows: healthy (4‒5 factors), intermediate (2‒3 factors), and unhealthy (0‒1 factor).

GRSs for low birth weight and childhood BMI correlated with higher risks of T2D, but a healthy lifestyle was associated with reduced T2D risk. An additive interaction was observed with increasing childhood BMI GRS and decreasing healthy lifestyle factors on such risk, but none for birth weight.

Among participants at high genetic risk (lowest quintile) of low birth weight in the CKB and UKB, those with a healthy lifestyle showed a 68-percent (hazard ratio [HR], 0.32, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.22‒0.47) and 77-percent (HR, 0.23, 95 percent CI, 0.19‒0.28) lower T2D risk than those with an unhealthy lifestyle, respectively.

Likewise, among participants with high genetic risk (highest quintile) of childhood obesity in the CKB and UKB, those who adhere to a healthy lifestyle had a 69-percent (HR, 0.31, 95 percent CI, 0.22‒0.46) and 80-percent (HR, 0.20, 95 percent CI, 0.17‒0.25) lower T2D risk than those with an unhealthy lifestyle.