Relationship between genetic ancestry and metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling old adults

Genetic ancestry may contribute to ethnic differences in the risk of metabolic disorders. Aging leads to a worse ability for homeostasis maintenance, favoring the establishment of metabolic disorders.

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the degree of genetic ancestry (European, African, and Amerindian) with the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) diagnosis and its diagnostic components separately, in community-dwelling old adults. One hundred and sixty-one community-dwelling old adults volunteered in this study. Sociodemographic data and health history were recorded. Venous blood samples were withdrawal for biochemical analysis and DNA extraction aiming to obtain genetic ancestry estimates (Amerindian [AME], European [EUR], and African [AFR]), which was done from 12 loci. MetS diagnosis followed the NCEP-ATPIII criteria. Additionally, the sample was stratified according to the presence or absence of each criterion used for MetS diagnosis (i.e., Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, dyslipidemia [low HDL], and central obesity (elevated waist circumference)). Comparisons of genetic ancestry estimates were performed using the Mann-Whitney test, with the significance level set at p < 0.05. The prevalence of MetS was 40.4%. The degree AME, EUR and AFR genetic ancestry was not different between volunteers with or without MetS (p > 0.05). However, AME ancestry was significantly higher among diabetic volunteers (non-diabetics: 13.7% (6.3–35.8) x Diabetics: 26.1% (10.6–48.5); p < 0.05). Community-dwelling old adults with a higher percentage of Amerindian ancestry seem to be prone to T2DM diagnosis.