Variations in lipid levels are attributed partly to genetic factors. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) mainly performed in European, African American and Asian cohorts have identified variants a Show more
Variations in lipid levels are attributed partly to genetic factors. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) mainly performed in European, African American and Asian cohorts have identified variants associated with LDL-C, HDL-C, total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG), but few studies have been performed in sub-Saharan Africans. This study evaluated the effect of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in eight candidate loci ( Show less
The latest genome-wide association studies of obesity-related traits have identified several genetic loci contributing to body composition (BC). These findings have not been robustly replicated in Afr Show more
The latest genome-wide association studies of obesity-related traits have identified several genetic loci contributing to body composition (BC). These findings have not been robustly replicated in African populations, therefore, this study aimed to assess whether European BC-associated gene loci played a similar role in a South African black population. A replication and fine-mapping study was performed in participants from the Birth to Twenty cohort (N = 1,926) using the Metabochip. Measurements included body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), total fat mass, total lean mass and percentage fat mass (PFM). SNPs in several gene loci, including SEC16B (P Results from this study suggest that in-depth genomic studies in larger African cohorts may reveal novel SNPs for body composition and adiposity, which will provide greater insight into the aetiology of obesity. Show less