31 May Genes Associated With High Triglycerides May Be Protective Against Diabetes

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Yann Klimentidis Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
University of Arizona

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Klimentidis: Previous studies have hinted at the possibility that genes which are associated with higher triglyceride levels may also be associated with lower type-2 diabetes. We set out  to test this hypothesis in multiple prospective cohort studies, in European-Americans and in African-Americans. We found that on a collective basis, the alleles which are associated with higher triglycerides are also associated with reduced type-2 diabetes risk. We also identified some individual genetic variants which are driving this trend.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Klimentidis: It is still too early for this research to have any impact on clinical practice. However, it does point to how genetic association studies can reveal important molecular and physiological mechanisms which could be investigated in greater depth, and then potentially be acted upon in the context of prevention and therapeutic strategies.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Klimentidis: Further research is needed to identify the physiological mechanisms that might result in this association, as well as to understand the functional impact of the individual genetic variants associated with triglyceride levels. We also need more clarity regarding the causal relationship between type-2 diabetes and lipid levels.

Citation:

Yann C. Klimentidis, Akshay Chougule, Amit Arora, Alexis C. Frazier-Wood, Chiu-Hsieh Hsu. Triglyceride-Increasing Alleles Associated with Protection against Type-2 Diabetes. PLOS Genetics, 2015; 11 (5): e1005204 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005204

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MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Yann Klimentidis Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, & University of Arizona (2015). Genes Associated With High Triglycerides May Be Protective Against Diabetes MedicalResearch.com

Last Updated on May 31, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD