January 22, 2007
Research: Other Research
Question from Boston, Massachusetts, USA:
There was a theory called the “Accelerator Hypothesis” presented two or three years ago, which attempted to link children’s increased weight to type 1 diabetes and as a result to type 2 diabetes making the two diseases more similar in nature than ever thought before. I was wondering if this theory were, in fact, ever proven as it was always my understanding that children with type 1 were normal to thin prior to diagnosis and, in fact, the two types of diabetes were almost viewed as two separate diseases. Any information/clarification you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Answer:
The Accelerator Hypothesis is alive and well with current research work ongoing to see if it can be proven or not. If you go to PubMed, you can probably find many articles that discuss the theory, current, and previous research findings. You are correct that most type 1 patients are not overweight, but weight seems to be a precipitating factor, at least in some cases, that could explain the increase in type 1 diabetes all around the world as the main environmental factors have yet to be identified.
SB
