title: Ethnic difference in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in inter-East Asian populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on fasting serum insulin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate ethnic difference by focusing on fasting serum insulin (FSI) in inter-East Asian patients with type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data sources included MEDLINE and EMBASE between 2001 and 2006. We conducted a search for articles containing mean or geometric mean values of FSI in East Asian patients with type 2 diabetes. The Monte Carlo method was used for simulation of the mean and standard deviation of individual measures in each ethnic group; calculation of the median ratio and 95% confidence interval of individual measures between ethnic groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The initial search identified a total of 996 journal articles. After reviewing the titles and abstracts of these articles, 201 studies were selected for further screening and the complete papers on these studies were then reviewed in detail. Of these, seven articles fully met our pre-determined criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Results of the meta-analysis revealed that FSI level is significantly lower in Japanese patients than in Korean and Chinese patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from our review of ethnic differences in dietary habit in the inter-East Asian population suggested that difference in dietary component was one of the most influential factors for the ethnic difference.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Information Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan. takema@gen-info.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Kousuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishii
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004032:Diet; D005006:Ethnicity; D005202:Asia, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D005215:Fasting; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids