Discussion of a man's background, attitude, and sexual history isn't just the fodder of Sex and The City episodes - in the future, it could also be a way of evaluating his risk of diabetes.
Risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome is determined by an individual's genetic background. Since this background has in turn been influenced by environment and behavior, it's important to consider these factors when assessing disease risk. While scientists have learned a lot about human disease through research in traditional laboratory mice, there are limits in studying genetic variation since controlled breeding and diet introduces artificially influences.
In order to study diabetes risk in a more naturally genetically diverse animal, Roxanne Oriel, Paul Vrana and colleagues studied glucose tolerance, a test often used to diagnose diabetes and metabolic syndrome, in a type of field mouse native to North America. As reported in their new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), dmm.biologists.org, they specifically chose two species of Peromyscus that are closely genetically related, but differ significantly in their behavioral traits and native environment.