title: Interethnic Variation in Lipid Profiles: Implications for Underidentification of African-Americans at risk for Metabolic Disorders.
abstract: Interethnic differences exist in the distribution of serum lipids, with African Americans (AA) generally having a healthier lipid profile than other US ethnic groups. Similar lipid distributions are observed among other African ancestry groups with distinct lifestyle characteristics, suggesting the importance of inherited factors. Despite healthier serum lipids, AA experience a disproportionate burden of Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. As evidence of a different relationship between serum lipids and disease exists, the characterization of metabolic risk using lipid concentration (as in Metabolic Syndrome criteria) may lead to the under-identification of AA at risk. Given the disproportionately high rate of metabolic disorders in AA, understanding interethnic differences in the association between serum lipids and disease should be a research priority, as better appreciation of these differences will enhance knowledge of disease etiology, improve intervention targeting, and may lead to mechanisms to ameliorate debilitating health disparities in the US and globally.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 12A, Room 4047, 12 South Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892 USA.
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 12A, Room 4047, 12 South Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892 USA.
authors.forename: Charles N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Rotimi
keywords: African American; epidemiology; genomics; health disparities; insulin resistance; lipids; metabolic syndrome