Diabetes Treatment Should Be Gender-based

Data on 3,000 participants found a significant difference in lipid, amino acid and other metabolites between males and females. The findings underscore the need for gender-specific treatments for diabetes and other metabolic disorders.…

Scientists who identified significant differences in male and female metabolism say there’s a need for gender-specific drug therapies for some diseases.

The German researchers analyzed the metabolic profile of blood serum from more than 3,000 people and found major gender differences for 101 of 131 metabolites, especially in lipids and amino acids.

Professor Thomas Illig stated that the results prove that, “In terms of molecular profiles, men and women have to be assigned to two completely different categories. That means that we also need gender-specific approaches to the treatment of diseases.”

The scientists’ next step is to analyze more metabolites and evaluate further studies from a gender-specific viewpoint, they said in a journal news release.

“Through the combination of gender-specific evaluation, genetic association studies and metabolomics [the study of the chemical processes involving the products of metabolism], we will gain a detailed understanding of how major widespread diseases such as diabetes mellitus develop,” Illig said.

journal PLoS Genetics, Aug. 11, 2011