Endocrine Abstracts

Both genetic and environmental factors determine whether individuals who have a predisposition to the development of type 1 diabetes actually develop the disease. Although we now know a considerable amount about the genetics through genome wide scans, and diabetes risk scores have been developed, the actual environmental triggers or perpetuating factors are not clearly defined. There has been considerable interest in recent years in investigation of these possible environmental factors in birth cohort studies. These studies have included documenting environmental contributors in individuals who are genetically at high risk. The studies have focused on diet, various infections, the gut microbiome and other possible factors. Recent advances will be discussed in this presentation.