An article published today by ScienceDaily reports on a new study published in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The study suggests fat and muscle mass, as potentially determined by a person’s ethnic background, may contribute to type 2 diabetes risk.

One of the main contributors to the spread of type 2 diabetes in the US and worldwide is the rising rate of obesity. Although the prevalence of obesity is increasing in all populations across the globe, past research has found that body fat distribution varies widely among different ethnic groups. Researchers in this study investigated which ethnic groups were most likely to be at increased risk for diabetes due to higher total body fat and lower muscle mass.

The researchers measured insulin levels and compared the amount of total body fat to lean mass in 828 men and women of Aboriginal, Chinese, European and South Asian origin to determine how differences in fat mass and lean mass may be related to insulin levels and insulin resistance in each group. Of the four ethnic groups studied, South Asians were found to have both higher fat mass, lower muscle mass and greater insulin levels, placing them at increased risk for insulin resistance and diabetes.