Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a multifactorial disease in which environmental triggers interact with genetic variants in the predisposition to the disease. A number of common variants have been associated with T2D but our knowledge of their ability to predict T2D prospectively is limited.
Methods and findings: By using a Cox proportional hazard model, common variants in the PPARG (P12A), CAPN10 (SNP43 and 44), KCNJ11 (E23K), UCP2 (-866G>A), and IRS1 (G972R) genes were studied for their ability to predict T2D in 2,293 individuals participating in the Botnia study in Finland. After a median follow-up of 6 y, 132 (6%) persons developed T2D. The hazard ratio for risk of developing T2D was 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.7) for the PPARG PP genotype, 1.5 (95% CI 1.0-2.2) for the CAPN10 SNP44 TT genotype, and 2.6 (95% CI 1.5-4.5) for the combination of PPARG and CAPN10 risk genotypes. In individuals with fasting plasma glucose > or = 5.6 mmol/l and body mass index > or = 30 kg/m(2), the hazard ratio increased to 21.2 (95% CI 8.7-51.4) for the combination of the PPARG PP and CAPN10 SNP43/44 GG/TT genotypes as compared to those with the low-risk genotypes with normal fasting plasma glucose and body mass index < 30 kg/m(2).
Conclusion: We demonstrate in a large prospective study that variants in the PPARG and CAPN10 genes predict future T2D. Genetic testing might become a future approach to identify individuals at risk of developing T2D.