Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs

#5. New Diabetes Genes

Having a parent with type 2 diabetes ups your odds of developing the disease, but why do some sibs get it and others don't? The answer lies somewhere in your genetic code, and this year brought scientific sleuths closer to cracking it. Research teams from the United States and Finland uncovered four new genetic variants linked to an increased risk of diabetes, which afflicts about 170 million people worldwide. Combined with the six variants scientists had discovered previously, it brings the total to 10. Eventually, these discoveries will aid experts in pinpointing those at greatest risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

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