Higher Diabetes Risk in South Asians

Higher Diabetes Risk in South Asians: People of South Asian origin are more prone to diabetes because of the way their muscles burn fat. The findings suggest that South Asian men have a lower rate of fat metabolism during exercise than European men. During resting states, fat metabolism was the same. The South Asian men also had a reduced sensitivity to insulin compared with the European group. Differences in fat metabolism during exercise were associated with a reduced sensitivity to insulin, which may contribute to the higher risk of Type 2 diabetes in the South Asian population. Hall LML, Moran CN, Milne GR, et al. Fat Oxidation, Fitness and Skeletal Muscle Expression of Oxidative/Lipid Metabolism Genes in South Asians: Implications for Insulin Resistance? PLOS One, 2010