UK South Asian children are already heading on a path towards type 2 diabetes at age 10, according to new research funded jointly by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the Wellcome Trust. Type 2 diabetes usually develops around age 40 or later. The new findings show that signs of disease risk are already detectable in apparently healthy British Asians in childhood.

The results come from the Child Heart And Health Study in England (CHASE), which looks at the health of British children aged 9 and 10 in London, Birmingham and Leicester. Even at this young age, tests revealed that children from South Asian families had higher levels of  blood markers that are associated with type 2 diabetes. Black African-Caribbean children were also more likely to have higher risk profiles than white children, but the difference was less marked.

Although the study did not directly address the causes of these differences, the researchers think that environmental factors, including lifestyle, are likely to be particularly important while genes may also play a role.

It’s estimated that 2.5 million people in the UK have diabetes. South Asian people in the UK are about three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than white Europeans. People with this condition are less responsive to the hormone insulin, which is important for controlling blood sugar levels. People with diabetes are much more susceptible to heart and circulatory disease – the UK’s biggest killer.

“These findings are particularly important in light of the growing problem that type 2 diabetes represents worldwide,” said Professor Peter Whincup, who led the research. “They suggest that at least some of the causes of ethnic differences in the prevalence of diabetes are working before adult life.