Baltimore researchers from Johns Hopkins University have concluded a study indicating that being short -- specifically having short legs and a low leg length-to-height ratio -- is linked to an increased type 2 diabetes and obesity risk in middle age. It all goes back to childhood nutrition, as short leg length translates into the lack of proper nutrition during the formative years of physical growth.

According to the researchers, "Insofar as adult stature is an indicator of development and growth during early life, the risk of obesity and diabetes in adulthood might begin to accrue before puberty." They recommend early intervention to improve childhood nutrition in diabetes prevention.

This is observational on my part, and not the result of any study, but I do not believe this will apply to type 1 diabetes. My father-in-law was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and he reached an adult height of 6-foot 4-inches. My sister-in-law was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and she reached an adult height of 6-foot. 

Richard Kahn, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association, is blogging the American Diabetes Association's 66th Annual Scientific Sessions. From June 9 - 13, the annual convention brings together leading scientists and health professionals to present the latest study findings and to discuss the current and future progress in the field of diabetes prevention and care.

So far, some of Kahn's posts have covered such topics as: insulin and longevity; endocannabinoids, oral insulin, the new A1C test, who is responsible for optimal diabetes care; the worm study; and you are what your mother ate during her pregnancy. The posting is written in a light and easy manner, not requiring the average person to being a textbook of medical definitions to make sense out of what is being said. I assume Kahn will continue blogging through June 13. You can read Richard's D.C. Diary here.

More good news from Australian researchers. In forwarding the advancements in scientific discovery or innovative solutions to life-long problems for diabetics worldwide, these researchers seem to be gaining impressive ground lately. At the beginning of the month, we posted about a new device that might go a long way in eliminating the ouch factor when testing blood sugar levels.

Now, it is being reported that Australian scientists have discovered a gene responsible for Type 2 diabetes. While Type 2 diabetes is most related to older persons from a lifetime of not getting enough exercise and following a nutritious diet and managing a healthy weight, the PSARL gene appears to play a role in who develops Type 2 diabetes and who doesn't develop the same disease -- given the same life-long lifestyle practices. According to Geelong-based ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals researchers, they got to the finish line first -- ahead of the other scientists -- in making this discovery. I'd say this discovery is sufficient enough reason to strut their scientific feathers.

As a mother who has sat at the breakfast table with her sons and silently prayed on more than one occasion that her sons did not inherit Grandpa's genetic makeup that led to his being diagnosed with diabetes while still a child, I will personally throw a parade for the scientists who not only discover the exact genes that lead to Type 1 diabetes but how to block the genetic progression that leads to Type 1 diabetes. That would be the ultimate scientific peacock moment.