Study in Punjabi Sikhs Identifies 36 Lipid–Gene Links to Diabetes and Heart Disease

Overview

• Researchers analyzing 516 blood fats in 3,000 Punjabi Sikhs reported in PLOS Medicine on Thursday that genetics shape key lipid levels tied to cardiometabolic disease.
• The team found 36 strong lipid–SNP associations, including 33 not reported before and three specific to this ancestry group.
• Using genetic tools that test cause and effect, the study linked higher LPC O-16:0 connected to a CD45 variant with greater type 2 diabetes risk.
• The analyses also pointed to PC 38:4 associated with a FADS1/2 variant as potentially protective against coronary artery disease in Indian populations.
• Signals were checked against larger datasets, including UK Biobank, GeneRISK, DIAMANT, and PROMIS, and the authors say broader, non-European sampling and follow-up lab studies are needed before any clinical use.