Independent Effect of Ethnicity on Glycemia in South Asians and White Europeans

Samiul A. Mostafa; Melanie J. Davies; David R. Webb; Balasubramanian Thiagarajan Srinivasan; Laura J. Gray; Kamlesh Khunti

doi:10.2337/dc11-2079

Independent Effect of Ethnicity on Glycemia in South Asians and White Europeans

Samiul A. Mostafa, MBCHB, BSC¹ ⇓,
Melanie J. Davies, MD¹,
David R. Webb, MBCHB¹,
Balasubramanian Thiagarajan Srinivasan, MD¹,
Laura J. Gray, PHD² and
Kamlesh Khunti, MD²

¹Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, U.K.
²Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, U.K.

Corresponding author: Samiul A. Mostafa, samiul.mostafa{at}uhl-tr.nhs.uk.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE HbA_1c levels are higher in most ethnic groups compared with white Europeans (WEs) independent of glycemic control. This comparison has not been performed between South Asians (SAs) and WEs. We analyzed the independent effect of ethnicity on HbA_1c and fasting and 2-h plasma glucose (FPG and 2hrPG, respectively) between these groups.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Analysis of the ADDITION-Leicester study, in which 4,688 WEs and 1,352 SAs underwent oral glucose tolerance testing, HbA_1c, and other risk factor measurements.

RESULTS Significant associations with HbA_1c included ethnicity, FPG, 2hrPG, and homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (P < 0.001); age and sex (P < 0.01); and fasting insulin and potassium (P < 0.05). After adjusting for these and other risk factors, SAs demonstrated higher HbA_1c (6.22 and 6.02%, mean difference 0.20%, 0.10–0.30, P < 0.001), FPG (5.15 and 5.30 mmol/L, mean difference 0.15 mmol/L, 0.09–0.21, P < 0.001), and 2hrPG (5.82 and 6.57 mmol/L, mean difference 0.75 mmol/L, 0.59–0.92, P < 0.001) compared with WEs, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS HbA_1c, FPG, and 2hrPG levels were higher in SAs independent of factors affecting glycemic control.

Footnotes

Clinical trial reg. no. NCT00318032, clinicaltrials.gov.

Received October 25, 2011.
Accepted April 1, 2012.

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