The Genetics of Obesity, Diabetes, and Heart Disease in African Diaspora Populations

African Americans have one of the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the United States, and often have other medical problems related to obesity and cardiovascular disease. These conditions have various risk factors, including high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance. However, these risk factors need further study in individuals with African ancestry, including Afro-Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa migrant populations. Genetic study of obesity, adult-onset diabetes, heart disease, and other common health conditions in African ancestry individuals across the Diaspora could be particularly informative. Therefore, this study is designed to collect genetic and non-genetic information from individuals with African ancestry to study common health conditions related to obesity, adult-onset diabetes, and heart disease. This ongoing study includes individuals at least 18 years of age who self-identify as African American, Afro-Caribbean, or migrants from sub Saharan Africa. Participants undergo physical examination and provide a blood sample for study. Participants also answer questions about personal and family medical history and current lifestyle behaviors. No treatment is provided as part of this protocol. ]]>
Subjects include unrelated persons who self-identify as white or African American, Afro-Caribbean, or migrant from sub-Saharan Africa. Adults of African ancestry are prioritized for this study because of the paucity of genetics studies investigating the association of risk alleles contributing to the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and other common conditions in this population. A small proportion of whites (less than 10%) were included in this study, to serve as a comparison group. This study only includes adults (age >= 18 years) because these phenotypes are more commonly present in adults. Participants were required to participate in a protocol with Dr. Anne Sumner, NIDDK/NIH. Related individuals are excluded to avoid biases in our analyses due to genomic similarities between people who are related. No prisoners will be included in this study. Pregnant women are excluded from this study because pregnancy induces changes in metabolism that would interfere with the measurements and outcomes of the study. ]]>