In a large Chinese population-based adult cohort, ascertained from a notably younger age than in the present study (i.e. over 20 years), the standardised prevalence rate of autoimmune diabetes was 6.0% in adults with diabetes who did not initially require insulin, which corresponds to six million adults in China with a form of autoimmune diabetes that is initially non-insulin requiring [9]. This evidence concerns the gene INS and diabetes mellitus.