Scientists from King's College London have found that childhood diabetes can be detected by testing blood for lipid (fat) molecules. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Medicine.
The researchers took blood samples from 1,300 obese children to assess levels of various lipids – fatty compounds. Then 200 of them were enrolled in the Danish HOLBAEK lifestyle intervention programme for people with obesity for a year.
Previously, scientists believed that the group of lipids included good and bad types of cholesterol and triglycerides, the most common fats in the human body. However, recent studies have shown that the picture is more complex. Using mass spectrometry (a method for identifying substances), it became known that there are thousands of different types of lipids in the body, each of which performs its own function.
The children's participation in the program revealed that there are certain lipids that are associated with the risk of developing diabetes, insulin resistance, and hypertension. Their concentrations in the subjects' bodies changed even with minor weight loss. The results of the study also disproved the idea that cholesterol is the main cause of complications associated with obesity in children.
Scientists at King's College London said their blood test could detect a wider range of lipid molecules, helping to assess the risk of developing diseases and possibly prevent them.
