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The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Genetics of Genetic Epidemiology of Metabolic Syndrome in an Island Population

The major objective of this study was to conduct a systematic genetic study of metabolic traits involved in metabolic syndrome through collection and analysis of epidemiological, demographic, environmental, and relevant biological and clinical data from a relatively isolated island population of the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia. The population was chosen for the following reasons: 1) in spite of practicing a largely traditional life style and dietary habits, high rates of obesity, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia and related metabolic abnormalities were found in previous studies; 2) the population was established by a relatively small number of founders, predominantly of Slavic descent from the mainland during 15th to 18th century AD, a genetically homogeneous population living in a homogeneous environment; 3) sharing a common European ancestry, a relevant population for study in the context of the general US population; 4) Croatian collaborators have been conducting anthropological and genetic studies in these communities for over three decades. There were two major aims of the study: 1) to recruit ~1200 adult participants and collect blood samples together with demographic, anthropometric, environmental and clinical data from the island of Hvar; to perform biochemical tests to measure glucose, insulin, uric acid and lipid levels; 2) conduct a genome-wide association analysis of metabolic traits and phenotypes using genome-wide SNP arrays (Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 5.0).