Scientists make ‘milestone’ diabetes gene discovery

SCIENTISTS have identified a gene carried by more than a third of northern Europeans which puts them at greater risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

The Icelandic researchers said this could help establish an easy test for diabetes risk and lead to better drugs for the disease.

For the 38% of people who have one copy of the genetic variant, the risk of developing type-2 diabetes goes up by around 45%.