Ethnic Differences in Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Ethnic differences in susceptibility to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and type 2 diabetes in white Europeans, South Asians, and African-Caribbean populations.
IRAS ID
348978
Contact name
Daniel Cuthbertson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 3 days
Research summary
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease are more prevalent in people of South Asian or African-Caribbean descent living in the UK, compared to White Europeans. Yet UK guidelines for cardiometabolic disease management have primarily been developed in White Europeans, exacerbating health inequalities. There is a major unmet need to address the health inequalities in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes in ethnic minority groups. This is also particularly true for women from ethnic minority groups who have been understudied in the few studies to investigate the inter-ethnic pathophysiological differences in the development of type 2 diabetes undertaken so far.
We hope to shed light on why South Asian and Black people are sensitive to developing weight related complications such as T2D, CVD, and fatty liver which could eventually translate into tailored guidelines considering all relevant cultural, behavioural, and biological differences across ethnic groups, and more effective interventions (dietary, weight loss and exercise interventions). This will be achieved by assessing baseline health and activity levels, post-prandial fat metabolism after a meal, insulin sensitivity, secretion, and beta cell function. Finally patients will undergo imaging consisting of MRI scans of the liver, pancreas, and heart to assess function and visceral fat deposition.
We believe our results may help to ensure that adequate materials and public health resources are adapted and allocated appropriately for diabetes screening and lifestyle interventions for diabetes, liver and heart disease prevention and treatment in ethnic minority groups. These findings may alter monitoring or screening tests to find early signs of complications. Ultimately, we hope to potentially reduce health inequalities in ethnic minority groups and reduce the burden of diabetes, liver, and heart disease in ethnic minority groups.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EE/0148
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion