Diabetes mellitus is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States,
and morbidities resulting from diabetes-related complications such as reti
nopathy, kidney disease, and limb amputation cause a huge burden to the nat
ional health care system. Identification of the genetic components of type
1 and type 2 diabetes is the most important area of research because elucid
ation of the diabetes genes will influence all efforts toward a mechanistic
understanding of the disease, its complications, and its treatment, cure,
and prevention. Also, the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes mandates
a redoubled effort to understand the genetic and behavioral contributions
to obesity.