New molecular pathways contributing to cardiovascular disease in Indians found

With 1 in 10 adults in India living with diabetes, and 62% of all deaths in the country due to cardiovascular disease, research has now begun to focus on tracing the genetic mechanisms that predispose Indians to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. A new paper on this subject from the U.S., by Dharambir K. Sangera et al., published in PLOS One this month, looked at the genetic connection between the human lipidome — all the lipids or fats in the human body — and cardiometabolic disorders.

The metabolite genome-wide study examined 516 lipid metabolites in 3,000 Punjabi Sikhs. Multi-layer replication studies to confirm the results were conducted using the U.K. Biobank and other cohorts.

Indians are genetically predisposed to a higher risk of cardiometabolic disease. One reason for this is lower lean body mass but higher body fat percentage among Indians compared to other populations. But what is the exact mechanism behind this increased risk?