Did You Inherit Type 2 Diabetes From Your Mother?

Researchers in New Zealand discovered that the mother is more likely to pass on type 2 diabetes to her children than the father.

The study was conducted in an inner-city community with many Maori, Pacific Islands people, and Europeans. It was found that those with type 2 diabetes were more likely to have a diabetic mother than father. A history of diabetes during pregnancy added an extra risk to the offspring above the usual maternal excess. The study was published in the March 1995 Journal of Internal Medicine.

Other studies have shown that the opposite is true for people with type I diabetes. It appears that one is more likely to inherit type I from one’s father than one’s mother.