Was the historic contribution of Spain to the Mexican gene pool partially responsible for the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Mexican-origin populations? The Spanish Insulin Resistance Study Group, the San Antonio Heart Study, and the Mexico City Diabetes Study
C. Lorenzo et al., Was the historic contribution of Spain to the Mexican gene pool partially responsible for the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Mexican-origin populations? The Spanish Insulin Resistance Study Group, the San Antonio Heart Study, and the Mexico City Diabetes Study, DIABET CARE, 24(12), 2001, pp. 2059-2064
OBJECTIVE - Mexican-American populations in San Antonio, Texas (SA-MA) and
Mexico have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic whites
in San Antonio (SA-NHW). However, the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes
in Mexican-origin populations might be related, in part, not to Native Ame
rican genetic admixture but to Spanish genetic admixture.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Four population-based epidemiological surveys
conducted with Mexican-origin and European-origin samples provided data re
levant to this question. in all four surveys, type 2 diabetes was defined a
s fasting plasma glucose greater than or equal to7.0 mmol/l or 2-h glucose
greater than or equal to 11.1 mmol/l or use of antidiabetic agents.
RESULTS - A comparison of the two Mexican-origin populations showed that th
e age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of type 2 diabetes was lower in Mexico t
han in SA-MA (15.1 vs. 17.9%, P = 0.032). Between the two European-origin p
opulations, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was lower in SA-NHW than in S
pain (6.2 vs. 9.1%, P < 0.0001), but differences were attenuated by adjustm
ent BMI or after stratification by education. In logistic regression analys
es, type 2 diabetes was associated with Mexican ethnic origin after adjusti
ng for age, education, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio.
CONCLUSIONS - The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Spain was intermediate b
etween that in Mexican-origin populations and SA-NHW. Although the higher d
egree of Native American admixture is a major contributor to the higher rat
es of type 2 diabetes, we cannot completely rule out a partial contribution
of Spanish admixture to diabetes susceptibility among Mexican-origin popul
ations.