However, several enzymes that drive this natural process appear different in insulin resistant people, according to the researchers, and they continue to study the biochemistry of insulin resistance to understand this breakdown and how it might be repaired. By studying Pima Indian volunteers, researchers have determined that diabetes runs in families, as does insulin resistance, and obesity. Scientists believe that some people also have a gene that makes them more likely to have the kidney disease that occurs in people who have had diabetes a long time. Looking for these genes is a key part of the search now being conducted by NIH and the Pima Indians. Researchers are working on this complex genetic puzzle by studying blood drawn from every member of the Pima community who comes into the NIH clinic at Hu Hu Kam Memorial Hospital for an examination.
Blood is checked for healthy levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and other nutrients.
Then, each person's blood and serum are typed and some is reduced to a very small pellet of DNA, the genetic material that instructs a person's cells to function one way or another. When NIH researchers find a family with one parent who is diabetic and one who is not, they are able to study the genes of both parents and their children in an effort to find the gene or genes shared by those who have diabetes. After finding these genes, scientists hope to break the codes that cause insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease of diabetes. Finding these genes will help doctors identify youngsters at risk and begin prevention before disease sets in. The Gila River Arts and Crafts Center at Sacaton, Arizona Another important finding has already made a difference in how diabetes patients are treated.