Diabetes and Heart Disease Risk in Blacks
It is unknown if obesity contributes to the development of heart disease in African American men and women. This study was created to determine whether there is a relationship between sex and body size and the incidence of heart disease in African American men and women. Researchers will attempt to associate obesity with the presence of heart disease risk factors. Risk factors that will be studied include; total body fat, body fat distribution, fat content of the blood (triglyceride concentration, low density lipoproteins \[LDL\], and high density lipoproteins \[HDL\]), how fast fat is removed from the blood, and how well insulin works in the body. Scientific studies have shown that obesity and increased levels of fat content in the blood are important risk factors for heart disease in Caucasian women. However, similar studies in African American women have failed to show the same correlation. In fact, it appears that African American women in all three body weight groupings, nonobese, overweight, and obese experience high death rates due to heart disease. In addition, prior research has shown that obese African American men tend to have elevated levels of fat in the blood while African American women have normal blood fat levels. Therefore, if high levels of triglycerides (fat found in the blood) are not seen in non-diabetic obese African American women, it cannot be considered a risk factor in this population. This suggests that studies conducted on Caucasian women may not provide insight into heart disease risk factors in African American women. The study will take 2000 healthy non-diabetic African American men and women (ages 18-70) and body mass index 3 subgroups; nonobese, overweight and obese. Diabetes undeniably increases the risk of heart disease. Therefore patients suffering from diabetes will not be included in the study. Candidates for the study will undergo a series of tests and examinations over 2 outpatient visits. Subjects will have body fat analyses, resting energy expenditure measurements, an EKG (electrocardiogram), and specific blood tests. Researchers believe this study will provide significant insight into the causes of obesity and heart disease in African Americans....
• Medications: People who take medications that are known to alter the parameters which are under investigation in this study will be excluded. People taking medications to treat hyperlipidemia will be included but analyses will be adjusted to take this into account. Subjects on thyroid hormone replacement will be included if their TSH is normal.
• Diabetes: Because diabetes affects insulin sensitivity and TG levels all people with diabetes even if the diabetes is controlled with diet alone will not be enrolled in the study.
• Pregnant or Breastfeeding: Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have an infant that is less than four months of age will be excluded. This is because the physiologic changes associated with pregnancy, breastfeeding or recent childbirth affect the parameters under study.
• Menstrual History: Now that postmenopausal women are included, menstrual history will be taken but women with irregular menses and hysterectomy will not be excluded. Women between the ages of 40 and 55 years will have FSH checked for proper characterization. Women 56 years of age and older will be assumed to be postmenopausal. However, women on any type of injectable hormonal contraception will be excluded because hormonal contraception affects both TG levels and glucose metabolism.