title: Diabetes and glucose tolerance in New South Wales coastal Aborigines: possible effects of non-Aboriginal genetic admixture.
abstract: A survey of adults living in two predominantly Aboriginal communities in eastern New South Wales revealed a crude prevalence of clinically diagnosed diabetes of 6.7% in Aboriginals. 1.4% of Aboriginal subjects investigated with 75 g oral glucose tolerance tests were found to have previously undiagnosed diabetes, and 2.8% had impaired glucose tolerance. 53% of women and 27% of men were obese as judged by body mass index. The age-sex standardised prevalence of diabetes in Aboriginals (previously diagnosed and newly detected) was 7.8%, which is substantially lower than the 15.6% prevalence found in the Aboriginal population of Bourke (central New South Wales). HLA antigen studies on these same individuals suggest approximately 60% genetic admixture from non-Aboriginal sources. Insulin response to oral glucose and mean body mass index were both related to non-Aboriginal genetic admixture with higher values in Aboriginal subjects than in their non-Aboriginal neighbours, and highest values were found in those with no detectable non-Aboriginal HLA haplotypes. The extent of genetic admixture in these communities may partly explain the lower prevalence of diabetes when compared with that found in the Aboriginal population of Bourke.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006680:HLA Antigens; D007328:Insulin