• People of South Asian origin are 4-5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than Caucasians.
  • The increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes within South Asians is strongly associated with increasing central obesity and hyperinsulinemia; South Asians also appear to be more insulin resistant, even at an earlier age, in comparison to Caucasians.
  • Recent studies have correlated lower thresholds of waist circumference (i.e. central obesity) with an increased risk of glucose intolerance in South Asians compared to Caucasians.
  • South Asians have an increased prevalence of coronary heart disease, stroke, and non-insulin dependent diabetes compared to Caucasians, despite demonstrating comparatively lower levels of the classic atherosclerotic risk factors.
  • The leading cause of death among South Asians in the U.S. is cardiovascular disease.
  • South Asians are prone to an insulin resistance syndrome (i.e. diabetes, central obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hypertriglyceridemia), which is linked to higher CHD mortality in comparison to Caucasians.
  • Compared to Caucasian children, South Asian children demonstrate higher average levels of insulin and insulin resistance; thus, the prevention of diabetes may need to start in early life.

Research on Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome:

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    Pub Med ID – 14604901 (Link)
  2. Hayes L, et al. Patterns of physical activity and relationship with risk markers for cardiovascular disease and diabetes in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and European adults in a UK population. J Public Health Med. 2002; 24(3):170-8.
    Pub Med ID: 12831085
  3. Bhopal R, and Fischbacher CM. Many South Asian people probably need pre-diabetes care. BMJ 2002; 325(7370): 965.
    Pub Med ID: 12399354
  4. Francke S, et al. A genome-wide scan for coronary heart disease suggests in Indo-Mauritians a susceptibility locus on chromosome 16p13 and replicates linkage with the metabolic syndrome on 3q27. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2001; 10(24): 2751 - 2765.
    Pub Med ID: 11734540
  5. Raymond NT, et al. Comparative incidence of Type I diabetes in children aged under 15 years from South Asian and White or Other ethnic backgrounds in Leicestershire, UK, 1989 to 1998. Diabetologia. 2001;44 Suppl 3:B32-6.
    Pub Med Id: 11724414
  6. Fischbacher CM, et al. Maternal Transmission of Type 2 Diabetes Varies by Ethnic Group: Cross-sectional survey of Europeans and South Asians. Diabetes Care 2001; 24(9): 1685 - 1686.
    Pub Med ID: 11522720 (Link)
  7. Rankin J, Bhopal R. Understanding of heart disease and diabetes in a South Asian community: cross sectional study testing the ‘snowball’ sample method. Public Health 2001;115 (4):253-260.
    Pub Med ID: 11464296
  8. Patel S, et al. Mismatch between perceived and actual overweight in diabetic and non-diabetic populations: a comparative study of South Asian and European women. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2001; 55(5): 332 - 333.
    Pub Med ID: 11297652
  9. Rao PV, et al. Age: the most significant risk for diabetes in Indian populations. J Indian Med Assoc. 1998;96(5):155-7.
    Pub Med ID: 9828573
  10. Mather HM, et al. Comparison of prevalence and risk factors for microalbuminuria in South Asians and Europeans with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabet Med. 1998;15(8):672-7.
    Pub Med ID: 9702471
  11. Pugh RN, et al. Arabian Peninsula men tend to insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk seen in South Asians. Trop Med Int Health. 1998;3(2):89-94.
    Pub Med ID: 9537269
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    Pub Med ID: 9472864
  13. Vishwanathan M, et al. Familial aggregation of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in south India; absence of excess maternal transmission. Diabet Med. 1996;13(3):232-7. Pub Med ID: 8689843
  14. Simmons D, Powell MJ. Metabolic and clinical characteristics of south Asians and Europeans in Coventry. Diabet Med. 1993 Oct;10(8):751-8.
    Pub Med ID: 8261758
  15. Simmons D. Parity, ethnic group and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes: the Coventry Diabetes Study. Diabet Med. 1992;9(8):706-9.
    Pub Med ID: 1395461
  16. McKeigue P M, Shah B, Marmot M G. Relation of central obesity and insulin resistance with high diabetes prevalence and cardiovascular risk in South Asians. Lancet. 1991;337 (8738):382-6.
    Pub Med ID: 1671422
  17. Samanta A, et al. Comparative prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Asian and white Caucasian adults.
    Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1987;4(1):1-6.
    Pub Med ID: 3691297