Key points from article :
Researchers at UNAM, Oxford Population Health, Abbvie, AstraZeneca, and Regeneron Genetics Center have published an analysis of genetic data from over 140,000 Mexican adults who participated in the Mexico City Prospective Study (MCPS).
The results of the analysis demonstrated the importance of conducting genetic studies in diverse populations.
The study found that rare variants in genes essential for metabolic health can dramatically increase risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Rare damaging variants in the obesity-associated gene MC4R are more than seven times more prevalent in Mexico than in the United Kingdom.
The study also found over 31 million genetic variants that have not been previously found in any existing genetic database.
The study's findings could lead to new insights into the complex genetic architecture of diverse populations and could improve health outcomes for people of Hispanic and Latino descent.
The analysis is published in the journal Nature.
