409 | id == 409
409 | category_id == 25
409 | category_order == 22
409 | category_name == Blood Sugar
409 | category_color == #C47AC0
409 | slug == SLC30A8-blood-sugar
409 | title == A Zinc Transporter’s Connection to Diabetes (SLC30A8)
409 | meta_description == SLC30A8 encodes a protein that transports into insulin-producing cell structures. Can some variants protect against diabetes?
409 | summary == <p><strong><em>SLC30A8 </em>encodes a protein that transports into insulin-producing cell structures. Can some variants protect against diabetes? Find out here.</strong></p>
409 | overall_score_text == Your Blood Sugar Score (based on SLC30A8)
409 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/SLC30A8-Blood-Sugar-Diabetes.jpg
409 | author_id == 1
409 | author_name == Jasmine Foster
409 | author_title == BSc, BEd
409 | author_order == 36
409 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Jasmine.jpg
409 | author_intro == <p><strong>Jasmine received her BS from McGill University and her BEd from Vancouver Island University.</strong></p>    <p>Jasmine loves helping people understand their brains and bodies, a passion that grew out of her dual background in biology and education. From the chem lab to the classroom, everyone has the right to learn and make informed decisions about their health.</p>
409 | reviewer == None
409 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
409 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
409 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
409 | publish_date == 2020
409 | publish_date == 10
409 | publish_date == 14
409 | avg_rating == 5.0
409 | tags_id == 801
409 | tags_name == Blood Sugar
409 | tags_id == 81
409 | tags_name == Diabetes Type 1
409 | tags_id == 127
409 | tags_name == Diabetes Type 2
409 | tags_id == 139
409 | tags_name == Insulin
409 | tags_id == 116
409 | tags_name == Insulin Resistance
409 | tags_id == 340
409 | tags_name == SLC30A8 Gene
409 | tags_id == 341
409 | tags_name == Zinc
409 | permissions_favorite == False
409 | permissions_rate == False
409 | content_article == <h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes zinc transporter 8, or ZnT8. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may play a role in diabetes by reducing the amount of circulating zinc in the bloodstream. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by maintaining optimal blood levels of zinc.</span></p> <h2><strong><em>SLC30A8</em></strong><strong> and Blood Sugar</strong></h2> <p><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/slc30a8/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes a protein called zinc transporter 8, or ZnT8, which transports zinc into cell structures responsible for making </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/insulin-101/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">insulin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. ZnT8 is expressed almost exclusively in the pancreas, making it a very interesting potential target for diabetes research [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4051628/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/169026"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes, but researchers aren&rsquo;t sure exactly how. Some studies suggest that these variants reduce the effectiveness of the ZnT8 transporter. This would reduce the amount of zinc moving into insulin-producing structures, but may leave more zinc circulating in the bloodstream [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4051628/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25287711/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Low blood zinc, meanwhile, has been strongly associated with diabetes. Meta-analyses of available studies also suggest that zinc supplementation is broadly beneficial in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, diabetes develops more frequently in people with low dietary zinc intake. This evidence makes it especially interesting that </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants that </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">reduce</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> ZnT8 efficacy appear protective against diabetes [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4573932/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6567047/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some people with type 1 diabetes develop antibodies against their own ZnT8 protein, leading to autoimmune inflammation. Autoantibodies against ZnT8 might be helpful in the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4536236/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes zinc transporter 8, or ZnT8, which takes zinc out of the bloodstream and into cell structures that make insulin. Genetic variants that reduce ZnT8 activity reduce the risk of diabetes, possibly by allowing more zinc to stay in the blood.</span></span></p> <h2><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>SLC30A8</em></strong><strong> Results for Blood Sugar</strong></h2> <p>*6518808497285196*</p> <p><strong>SLC30A8 </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs13266634/"><strong>rs13266634</strong></a></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Associated with relatively higher blood sugar</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Associated with lower blood sugar</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;T&rsquo; allele may reduce the function of the ZnT8 transporter, leaving more zinc in the bloodstream and reducing overall blood sugar [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30718926/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4051628/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>SLC30A8 </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs3802177/"><strong>rs3802177</strong></a></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Associated with relatively higher blood sugar</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Associated with lower blood sugar</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele may reduce the function of the ZnT8 transporter, leaving more zinc in the bloodstream and reducing overall blood sugar [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30054458/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4051628/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p>*6041163778153349*</p> <h2><strong>Recommendations for Controlling Blood Sugar</strong></h2> <p>*9839768063195029*</p> <h3><strong>Zinc</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ZnT8 removes zinc from the bloodstream and uses it in the production of insulin. Some researchers believe that the reduction of zinc in the blood is the potentially harmful part of that equation, in which case it&rsquo;s very important to avoid zinc deficiency [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4051628/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several meta-analyses have found that </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/literally-everything-wanted-know-zinc-backed-science/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">zinc</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> supplementation may reduce blood </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/glucose/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">glucose</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/top-tips-for-fixing-insulin-resistance/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">insulin resistance</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and glycated </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/hemoglobin-good-bad-lab-tests-normal-values-reference-ranges/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">hemoglobin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> levels in people with obesity, diabetes (both type 1 and 2) and metabolic syndrome [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27587022/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23137858/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407731/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zinc may also decrease the severity of diabetic neuropathy (nerve </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/pain-management/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">pain</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">), </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/oxidative-stress-101/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">oxidative stress</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/cholesterol/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">cholesterol</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">/triglyceride levels in type 2 diabetic patients [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11229219/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11444416/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407731/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3064411/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zinc is available in supplement form. For those who prefer to try to get their zinc status up through diet, the richest sources include shellfish, beef, and pork [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Supplemental zinc may help control blood sugar in people without the protective </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> alleles.</span></span></p> <h3><strong>Exercise</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Physical exercise increased zinc circulating in the bloodstream of diabetic rats, suggesting a potential benefit for people without the protective </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> alleles [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26281917/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/top-14-proven-health-benefits-exercise-references-mechanisms/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Physical activity</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is a great way to manage blood glucose levels, and it gets more effective with increased intensity and duration. Muscle activity burns glucose for energy and makes cells more sensitive to insulin [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3781559/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3587394/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26853238/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5510106/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30553010/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Physical exercise may help increase circulating zinc in the bloodstream and decrease blood sugar, which would be beneficial for those without beneficial </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SLC30A8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> alleles.</span></span></p>
409 | content_snp_table_6518808497285196_key == 6518808497285196
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409 | content_snp_table_6518808497285196_hidden == False
409 | content_learn_more_6041163778153349_key == 6041163778153349
409 | content_learn_more_6041163778153349_blur == True
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409 | content_learn_more_6041163778153349_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your SLC30A8 gene is somewhat associated with high blood sugar. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of diabetes; it’s just one gene related to it. Exercise and supplemental zinc may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
409 | content_recommendation_9839768063195029_key == 9839768063195029
409 | content_recommendation_9839768063195029_blur == True
409 | content_recommendation_9839768063195029_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs3802177,rs13266634
rsStatus = rs3802177,SLC30A8,chr8,117172786,G,A,,,5,27,HET
rsStatus = rs13266634,SLC30A8,chr8,117172544,C,A,T,,42,0,Normal
