Mixed race people are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome

UDEA/DICYT A study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Antioquia suggests that genetic factors may be to blame for metabolic syndrome (MS). People of African and Native American ancestry are more likely to develop abdominal obesity and diabetes.

With a 500-year presence in the New World, Hispanics are a relatively recent ethnic group. When Spaniards and African slaves came into the New World they brought not only their customs but also many diseases.

Factors such as water scarcity and food shortage in Africa as well as the trans-Atlantic slave trade have played an important role in the genetic makeup of the African-American people. Native Americans who crossed the Bering Strait were pray to food scarcity and famine, while Europeans endured the harsh winter.

Those who accumulated body energy reserves in the form of fat survived best since fat accumulation is an adaptive response to an environment where food is scarce. However, when they arrived in the New World, where food and water resources appeared abundant and available, they began to suffer from obesity due to eating habits and sedentary lifestyle.

“What was once an adaptive trait became what is now known as metabolic syndrome (MS),” says Gabriel Bedoya of the UA Molecular Genetics Group (GENMOL). MS risk factors include abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels and diabetes.

MS is increasingly emerging as a major public health problem. UA student Catalina Martínez, won an award for her outstanding Master’s thesis on the relationship between the genetic makeup and the risk of metabolic syndrome in mixed race people.

“This is the first in-depth study to address the relationship between genetic makeup and metabolic syndrome and related disorders,” said professor Bedoya.

The study raises questions such as: Who is most at risk for developing obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, high triglyceride levels and high blood pressure? What genetic makeup is most likely to develop metabolic syndrome?

The study comprised 581 people at risk of developing MS. A blood sample was taken from all participants in order to identify their pathological profile and extract genomic DNA.

Ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) were used to estimate the ancestral components of the participants. The results showed that people of European ancestry have a lower risk of developing central obesity, while those of African and Native American ancestry are more likely to suffer from it. The study also revealed that women of African ancestry are about twice as likely to become obese.

Moreover, the study suggests that people with higher levels of European ancestry are less prone to type 2 diabetes mellitus, compared to those of African and Native American ancestry.

“If you have a genetic predisposition to metabolic syndrome, is better to know about it. Fortunately, metabolic syndrome can be prevented or reversed with some lifestyle changes such as exercise and healthy diet,” Bedoya said.