ABSTRACT
Type 2 DM is a complex metabolic syndrome characterized by impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance (IR). IR has a strong genetic component and the children of diabetics have an increased risk for the early onset of DM.The body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting plasma insulin (FPI), HOMA-IR (Homeostatic model assessment - IR) and lipid parameters were measured and statistically compared in 25 nondiabetics with family history of type 2 DM (FH + group) and 25 age matched nondiabetics without family history of type 2 DM (FH - group).The FPI (8.76 ± 3.6), HOMA-IR (1.95 ± 0.86) and serum triglycerides (136.43 ± 11.44) were statistically significant (p<0.05) in the FH + group when compared to the FH - group. WC, total cholesterol and BP showed a trend towards increase in the FH + group. There is hyperinsulinemia, IR and an altered lipid metabolism in the FH + group. The complex genetic predisposition to IR and its association with the increasing WC in the FH + group predisposes such individuals to the development of type 2 DM.