Umbilical cord blood may hold clues for a child’s risk of developing Type 1 diabetes

Some people with Type 1 diabetes wear continuous glucose monitors to manage their condition. Svetlana Repnitskaya/Moment via Getty Images

Your early life may quietly set the stage for developing Type 1 diabetes, an increasingly common, lifelong condition that can significantly affect daily life.

Our team’s research, published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that biological pathways associated with future Type 1 diabetes may begin as early as pregnancy, and that these signs could be detected in umbilical cord blood.