Gene linked to body's clock, diabetes risk

CAMBRIDGE, England, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- British researchers suggest a connection between the body's clock and abnormalities in metabolism and diabetes.

Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the MRC Epidemiology Unit, both in Cambridge, England, identified a gene involved in the way the body responds to the 24-hour, day-night cycle that is strongly linked to high blood sugar levels and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

"We have extremely strong, incontrovertible evidence that the gene encoding melatonin receptor 1B is associated with high fasting glucose levels and increased risk of type 2 diabetes," Mark McCarthy of the University of Oxford said in a statement.

Melatonin is a hormone that is strongly tied to control of sleep-wake cycles, with concentrations in the blood peaking at night and dipping during the day. As a result, melatonin is implicated in conditions such as jet lag and sleep disorders.

Disrupted sleep patterns are known to be associated with a range of health problems, including metabolic disorders such as diabetes, but it is not understood how they are connected, McCarthy says.

The study, published in Nature Genetics, finds the melatonin receptor found in the genome-wide study is the first gene to be linked to both high blood sugar and increased risk of diabetes.