Prevalence of Carbohydrate Intolerance in Lean and Obese Children

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of impaired glucose (carbohydrate) tolerance in lean children with a family history of diabetes and in overweight/obese children with or without a family history of diabetes mellitus. A secondary purpose of this research project is to study lean children and adolescents with a family history of diabetes and overweight/obese children with or without a family history of diabetes and their predisposition to atherosclerosis and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Specifically, the hypothesis is that children with metabolic risk factors will have altered endothelial function. A third purpose of this study is to understand the molecular physiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in lean children with a family history of diabetes and in overweight/obese children with or without a family history of diabetes mellitus using candidate gene and positional cloning approaches. The goal is to identify genes in which mutation and/or allelic variation convey susceptibility to obesity, T2DM and/or related sub-phenotypes in youth. The identification of such genes should enable a delineation of molecular pathogenesis and, ultimately, prevention or treatment. Specifically, we plan to: 1. Explore the genetic bases of T2DM-associated quantitative traits, with special regard to insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion. 2. Confirm (or disprove) that genes associated with T2DM-associated quantitative traits are true diabetogenes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Obesity: BM +/- 95% for age general good health