Differences in type 2 diabetes risk between East, South, and Southeast Asians living in Singapore: the multi-ethnic cohort
Authors' conclusion
Different Asian ethnic groups have unique biological risk factor profiles related to T2D development that may warrant targeted approaches for prevention and treatment.
Study context
- Population
- Adults of Chinese, Malay and Indian origin in the Singapore multi-ethnic cohort595 incident cases
- Participants
- 7,427 adults
- Exposure
- Malay vs Indian vs Chinese ethnicity
- Outcome
- Incident T2D (physician diagnosis, national registry, FPG or HbA1c)
- Follow-up
- Mean 7.2 years (SD 2.2 years)
Methodological detailsmulti-ethnic cohort, multivariable logistic association and mediation analyses
- Multi-ethnic cohort
- Multivariable logistic association and mediation analyses
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident T2D · mean follow-up 7.2 years
Each group vs chineseOdds ratio (95% CI)
Malay
2.08(1.69–2.56)
Indian
2.22(1.80–2.74)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Mediation of ethnic differences in two diabetes (T2D) risk
- Higher body mass index (BMI) explained the higher risk for Malay vs Chinese ethnicity
- Higher BMI, waist circumference, inflammation and insulin resistance, and lower beta-cell function and HDL-C significantly contributed to the higher risk for Indian vs Chinese ethnicity; part remained unexplained
- Chinese participants had the lowest adiponectin levels despite lower T2D risk
Original publication
Differences in type 2 diabetes risk between East, South, and Southeast Asians living in Singapore: the multi-ethnic cohort. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. Published 28 July 2023. doi:10.
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