Mixed
Minority ethnic groups (Asians, Hispanics, Blacks) have a significantly higher risk of type 2 diabetes than Whites, independent of BMI, with Asians showing the strongest association between weight gain/BMI and diabetes risk.
If you are Asian, Hispanic, or Black, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is higher than that of a White person with the same BMI. For Asians specifically, even small amounts of weight gain or slight increases in BMI carry a disproportionately higher risk of diabetes compared to Whites. This means maintaining a healthy weight and eating a diet high in fiber and polyunsaturated fats (and low in trans fats and glycemic load) is critically important, potentially offering greater protective benefits for you than for a White person with similar habits.
The risk of diabetes is significantly higher among Asians, Hispanics, and blacks than among whites before and after taking into account differences in BMI. Weight gain is particularly detrimental for Asians.
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort (N=78,419), long follow-up (20 years), rigorous adjustment for confounders, but observational design prevents causal inference for specific biological mechanisms.
Source
Ethnicity, Obesity, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women
Iris Shai et al. · Diabetes Care · 2006
DOI 10.2337/dc06-0057
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