Diabetes risk assessment in Mexicans and Mexican Americans: effects of parental history of diabetes are modified by adiposity level.
OBJECTIVE
Parental diabetes history is a well-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes and considered strong evidence for a genetic basis of type 2 diabetes. Whether this relationship is affected by other known risk factors, specifically obesity, remains unclear, possibly due to a relative paucity of lean diabetic patients.


METHODS
This issue was investigated using data from a high-risk population from Mexico (National Health Survey 2000, n = 27,349), with observations replicated using U.S. citizens of Mexican descent from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 (n = 1,568).


RESULTS
As expected, positive parental diabetes was a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes, regardless of age, sex, or adiposity level. However, positive parental diabetes conferred greater risk in leaner individuals than in their overweight peers (P = 0.001). In other words, the effect of BMI on type 2 diabetes risk was smaller in the presence of parental diabetes history.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that parental diabetes is a stronger risk factor for type 2 diabetes in the absence of obesity. Thus, studies in lean diabetic patients could help identify type 2 diabetes susceptibility genes. This study reinforces the concept that parental diabetes and BMI are independent type 2 diabetes risk factors and suggests that glycemic screening may be helpful in assessing type 2 diabetes risk in individuals with parental diabetes history, regardless of their overweight status.
Velasco Mondragon
Hector E
HE
Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Charlton
R William
RW
Peart
Tasha
T
Burguete-Garcia
Ana I
AI
Hernandez-Avila
Mauricio
M
Hsueh
Wen-Chi
WC
D000328:Adult; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000235:genetics; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D010290:Parents; D012307:Risk Factors