Study: Heart Disease Risk Among African Americans May Be Explained By Gene Mutation
Increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other health problems is common in Africans and those of African descent worldwide. According to a new study, a gene mutation may explain the statistically higher risk for blacks.
The mutation found within the ApoE gene is linked to increased levels of triglycerides, which are fats in the blood. Triglycerides are associated with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
“Based on our findings, we estimate that there could be 1.7 million African-Americans in the United States and 36 million sub-Saharan Africans worldwide with the variant,” study senior author Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell, said in a college news release.
“The prevalence of the ApoE mutation may put large numbers of Africans and African descendants worldwide at risk for a triglyceride-linked disorder,” Crystal said. “But we don’t yet know the extent of that risk or its health consequences.”
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