Genes "Up Indians' Obesity Risk"

This article is a few months old, but it presents an interesting hypothesis regarding the prevalence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and heart problems in the South Asian community:

“Scientists have pinpointed a reason why people with Indian ancestry may be more prone to weight problems.

They have found this group is more likely to carry a gene sequence linked to an expanding waist line, weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

The sequence, discovered by a team led by Imperial College London, is carried by 50% of the population - but is a third more common in Indian Asians.

This study is important because it provides a potential genetic 'flag' by which doctors may be able to identify people who would gain great health benefits from help to avoid gaining weight

The finding might provide a possible genetic explanation for the particularly high levels of obesity in Indian Asians, who make up 25% of the world's population, but who are expected to account for 40% of global cardiovascular disease by 2020.”

Preventative Measures:

"Lead researcher Professor Jaspal Kooner said the genetics behind obesity and its related health problems had been little understood.

He said: "A better understanding of the genes behind problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease means that we will be in a good position to identify people whose genetic inheritance makes them most susceptible.

"We can't change their genetic inheritance. But we can focus on preventative measures, including life-style factors such as diet and exercise, and identifying new drug targets to help reduce the burden of disease."

You can read the rest of the article here.

You can access the abstract of the original study here.