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RecruitingNCT07835724Updated Sep 23, 2026

Environmental Determinants of Type 1 Diabetes Risk

An observational study in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM), Healthy Control and Relatives to/Carers of Patients, sponsored by Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 3 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-23.

Sponsored by Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Aug 2024; still recruiting 2 years 3 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
11,240
Ages
3 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To analyze the environmental risk factors for type 1 diabetes in China.

Read the detailed description

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a hyperglycemic disease caused by absolute insulin deficiency. It has an acute and early onset, and patients require lifelong insulin therapy. Global T1D incidence is rising yearly. China has the fourth-largest number of T1D patients and the second-fastest increase in incidence, with a marked rise in adults. T1D results from genetic and environmental factors that cause immune destruction of pancreatic β cells. Genetic risk is relatively clear: HLA DR4-DQ8 and DR3-DQ2 carry the highest risk, and over 70 related loci have been identified. However, environmental factors remain insufficiently characterized. Studies of migrants, socioeconomic differences, and mobile populations suggest that environment and lifestyle have significant effects. Since China's genetic background has not changed substantially while incidence continues to rise, environment-induced immune dysregulation combined with genetic susceptibility may be key. International cohorts such as TEDDY and DAISY confirm that diet, viral infections, and gut microbiota can trigger islet autoimmunity. Among specific factors, high maternal early-pregnancy BMI, rapid childhood growth, and obesity increase risk; vitamin D is protective, and China's north-high/south-low incidence gradient may relate to sunlight and vitamin D. Gluten may trigger islet autoimmune inflammation via gut microbiota and immune activation. Viral infection, pollution, chemical exposure, and socioeconomic status may also contribute. Most evidence comes from European and American populations, while Chinese studies are limited. Therefore, systematically identifying China-specific environmental risk factors has important scientific and public-health value. In summary, genetics determines susceptibility, while modifiable environmental factors are critical in triggering and progression and are key to early prevention and precision management of T1D.

02

Conditions studied

  • Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)
  • Healthy Control
  • Relatives to/Carers of Patients

Keywords

  • type 1 diabetes
  • environmental factors
03

In context

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1

3,754 studies on the registry are indexed under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; 600 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 11,240 is above the median of 125 across 792 observational studies indexed under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1.

Browse Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 studies →

Lead sponsor

Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University is the lead sponsor of 87 studies on the registry; 50 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
3 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Individuals with type 1 diabetes, first-degree relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes, and controls recruited from 18 provinces in China.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Individuals with type 1 diabetes (no age restriction):

    • Clinically diagnosed with T1D by a specialist.
    • Meeting any one of the following conditions:(1) Age of onset \< 15 years;(2) No overweight or obesity at onset;(3) History of ketoacidosis.
    • Insulin-dependent since disease onset;
    • Positive for at least one islet autoantibody (GADA, IA-2A, ZnT8A, IAA, ICA);
    • Disease duration ≤ 3 years.
  2. First-degree relatives:

    • Parents, siblings, or children of an individual with T1D.
    • Age ≤ 45 years.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Individuals with type 1 diabetes

    • Gestational diabetes.
    • Confirmed monogenic diabetes.
    • Secondary diabetes.
    • Type 2 diabetes.
    • Other specific types of diabetes.
  2. First-degree relatives:

    • Diagnosed with diabetes before screening;
    • Previous or current use of glucose-lowering drugs.

Common exclusion criteria:

  • Severe active disease or a condition likely to substantially affect , including or severe cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, or renal disease.
  • A condition that may require therapy during the study period.
  • Current systemic immunosuppressive therapy.
  • Current systemic therapy.
  • Participation in another drug or medical device trial during recruitment or the study period.
  • History of major surgery or severe trauma.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
11,240 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples without dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Controls

    Controls matched to the recruited patients.

  • FDR

    First-degree relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes.

  • T1D

    patients with type 1 diabetes

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change From Baseline in Fasting C-peptide Concentration at 1 Year

    Fasting C-peptide concentration will be measured at baseline and at 1 year after enrollment. The change from baseline will be calculated as the C-peptide concentration at 1 year minus the baseline concentration and reported in pmol/L.

    Time frame: Baseline to 1 year after enrollment

  2. Change From Baseline in 2-Hour Postprandial C-peptide Concentration at 1 Year

    Two-hour postprandial C-peptide concentration will be measured at baseline and at 1 year after enrollment. The change from baseline will be calculated as the 2-hour postprandial C-peptide concentration at 1 year minus the baseline concentration and reported in pmol/L.

    Time frame: Baseline to 1 year after enrollment

Secondary outcomes

  1. Serum Islet Autoantibodies seroconversion.

    Serum islet autoantibodies, including glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody (GADA), insulinoma-associated protein 2 autoantibody (IA-2A), zinc transporter 8 autoantibody (ZnT8A), and insulin autoantibody (IAA), will be measured at baseline and 1 year after enrollment.

    Time frame: Baseline to 1 year after enrollment

  2. Change From Baseline in Number of Positive Serum Islet Autoantibodies at 1 Year

    Serum islet autoantibodies, including glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody (GADA), insulinoma-associated protein 2 autoantibody (IA-2A), zinc transporter 8 autoantibody (ZnT8A), and insulin autoantibody (IAA), will be measured at baseline and 1 year after enrollment. The number of positive islet autoantibodies will be recorded at each time point, and the change from baseline will be calculated as the number at 1 year minus the number at baseline.

    Time frame: Baseline to 1 year after enrollment

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • the Second Xiangya Hospital, central south of university
    Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Aug 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jul 2027, 35 months after the start.

Of 249 non-industry observational studies under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, half reached primary completion within 30 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 78. This study's planned 35 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 299 studies reached it within 30 months; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 69.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Sep 14, 2026
First posted
Sep 23, 2026
StartActual
Aug 1, 2024
Primary completionEst.
Jul 1, 2027
CompletionEst.
Aug 1, 2030
Last update
Sep 23, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 23, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07835724
Lead sponsor
Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
Responsible party
Yang Xiao (Professor; Chief Physician; Vice President, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University; Deputy Director, National Clinical Research Center for Endocrine and metabolic Diseases;, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 23, 2026
Start date
Aug 1, 2024
Primary completion
Jul 1, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 1, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 23, 2026

Study contacts

Yang Xiao
Contact
xiaoyang29@csu.edu.cn
86-731-85292154

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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