New Delhi, November 27, 2024.
Genetic vulnerabilities of producing lower levels of insulin and having an unhealthy distribution of fat could be major causes for South Asians developing type 2 diabetes at a younger age, according to a UK-based study that looked at participants of Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin.
Researchers from Queen Mary University, UK, said that while South Asians are known to develop diabetes early in life and often whilst having a normal body mass index, reasons for this are poorly understood because genetic research is largely focused on European ancestry groups.
For the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers used data from the Genes and Health cohort, a community-based study of British-Bangladeshi and British-Pakistani volunteers. Nearly 9,800 had a diagnosis of diabetes, while over 34,000 did not.
