MIDUS study looks at individual adverse childhood experiences and their impacts on future diabetes.
An adverse childhood experience (ACE) is any experience that produces long-lasting stress in a child’s life and leads to worse overall health, both psychological and physical as an adult. Research has shown that even a single ACE increases the risk of diabetes, but little is known about the mechanism behind this phenomenon or how to prevent its occurrence. Currently the CDC only recommends general programs and support networks to prevent ACEs and there is no guideline for treating patients with ACEs who are at risk to develop diabetes. Previous studies show that patients with ACEs have greater insulin sensitivity but individual ACEs were not specified. There is a need to screen and treat these patients based on “trauma informed care.” This study examined the individual impact of six different ACEs on the development of diabetes.
Data was collected from the study Midlife in the United States: A National Longitudinal Study of Health and Well-Being (MIDUS) at two different points in time. The first round consisted of surveys about the patient’s demographics, personality traits, and behaviors of 7,108 participants. The ACE study questionnaire was designed to discreetly detect adverse childhood experiences including; emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, family instability, and financial strain. The second round took place six years later and consisted of 1,054 participants; this was the cohort for this study. This group spent 24 hours in the clinical research center. Fasting blood samples and urinalysis were obtained after an overnight stay. An extensive list of biological measures were also taken, including BMI, A1C, and fasting blood glucose. Multi-variant general linear regression models determined the association between the ACE and variables measured.
Of the 1,054 participants, 68% reported at least one ACE. Across the board there was a statistically significant increase in all biomarkers. Specifically, BMI/waist circumference and insulin levels held more weight and other biomarkers. The study also suggests that insulin resistance may be the connection between increased BMI and ACE, since BMI becomes insignificant when tested on its own.
Click HERE to read the full article written by Arsalan Hashmi, PharmD. Candidate, LECOM College of Pharmacy
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