The Genetics of Obesity in Mexican Americans: The Evidence from Genome Scanning Efforts in the San Antonio Family Heart Study

Recent estimates indicate that approximately 18% of the population in the United States can be considered obese (defined as a body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30), and this rate is even higher among ethnic populations such as Mexican Americans. This figure becomes very significant given the strong evidence f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human biology 2003-10, Vol.75 (5), p.635-646
Main Authors: COMUZZIE, ANTHONY G., MITCHELL, BRAXTON D., COLE, SHELLEY, MARTIN, LISA J., HSUEH, WEN-CHI, RAINWATER, DAVID L., ALMASY, LAURA, STERN, MICHAEL P., HIXSON, JAMES, MACCLUER, JEAN W., BLANGERO, JOHN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Chromosomes
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2 - genetics
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 - genetics
Chronic Disease
Female
Genes
Genetic aspects
Genetic Linkage
Genetic loci
Genetics
Genome, Human
Genomes
Hispanic Americans
Hispanic Americans - ethnology
Hispanic people
Human genetics
Human Genome Project
Humans
Male
Mexican Americans
Middle Aged
Obesity
Obesity - ethnology
Obesity - genetics
Phenotype
Phenotypes
Physiological aspects
Quantitative trait loci
Risk Factors
Texas
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
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Summary:Recent estimates indicate that approximately 18% of the population in the United States can be considered obese (defined as a body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30), and this rate is even higher among ethnic populations such as Mexican Americans. This figure becomes very significant given the strong evidence for obesity as a major risk factor for a variety of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease. The search for genes involved in the expression of obesity has been one of the focal points of the San Antonio Family Heart Study (SAFHS), a large, familybased study to examine the genetics of risk for atherosclerosis in Mexican Americans. To date, our genome scanning effort has reported two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with pronounced effects on the expression of a variety of obesity—related phenotypes (e.g., leptin levels, fat mass, and BMI) located on chromosomes 2 and 8. We are currently working to further refine these signals and to identify the genes and allelic variants involved. Here, we summarize the latest results from our ongoing efforts to identify obesity genes in the San Antonio Family Heart Study.
ISSN:0018-7143
1534-6617
1534-6617
DOI:10.1353/hub.2003.0073