1. S
Strong association of
socioeconomic status with genetic
ancestry in Latinos: implications for
admixture studies of type 2
diabetes.
J.C Florez et al.
Diabetologia
2009
Presented by Sarah Stansfield & Adam Kirstein

2. Introduction
 Disproportionate ratio of Latino ancestry and European
ancestry regarding type 2 diabetes
 Adjusted for BMI; or “ abdominal obesity”, Latino
ancestry-people still had a higher risk than European for
developing type 2 diabetes.
 Pima Indians with type 2 have more native ancestry than
their “normoglycaemic” peer populations
 “ a fraction” of Admixed Latinos
 Protective metabolic phenotypes. ( assumedly against type
2)

3. Introduction
 “Thrifty gene” hypothesis- limiting food resources in the
past have favored alleles that promote efficient bodily
storage of energy reserves…” ( Human evolutionary
genetics glossary)
 Looked at socioeconomic status as a contributor of type
2.

4. Location:
Colombia

5. Location:
Mexico

6. Methods
 Columbia: 499 cases with type 2 diabetes; 197 controls
 Controls: 40+ year olds with no history of diabetes in “first degree
relatives” recruited from centers for care of the elderly
 Mexico: 163 cases with type 2 diabetes; 72 controls
 Controls: 40+ year olds with no history of diabetes in “first degree
relatives” recruited from cases’ spouses, other patients at clinics

7. Methods
 Cases and controls were self-identified mestizos from same
geographical area with similar socioeconomic status.
 Unmixed populations to get allele frequency, corresponding
with ancestry and location.
 Genotyped all samples
 Used 67 AIMS to determine ancestry
 Focused on proportion European ancestry
 Standard errors for % European ancestry smaller than for % Native
American ancestry because the AIMs used were less informative for
Native American vs African ancestry

8. Methods:
Socioeconomic status
 Colombia: public utilities records, and property valuation
 Ranked 1-6
 Assigned a participant based on this strata
 Home ownership
 Mexico: Used a standardized interviewing questionnaire
 Monthly income, occupation, etc.
 Ranked lowest to highest
 Assigned participants based on this strata.

9. Results
 While there were effects found of % European ancestry
on type-2 diabetes, these were confounded by the effects
socioeconomic status
 Individuals with higher % European ancestry were more
likely to have higher socioeconomic status here
 Makes it difficult to determine which factor contributes
more to type-2 diabetes prevalence

10. Results

11. Results

12. Results
Mexicans Colombians

13. Results

14. Discussion
 There is a genetic association between proportion of non-
European ancestry and type-2 diabetes
 But the evidence of this association is highly confounded
by socioeconomic status
 Low socioeconomic status can increase the risk of
diabetes
 It is correlated with Native American ancestry