Abstract
The ethnic difference of lipid metabolism is mainly caused by frequency difference of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). This difference results in the rapid increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes among mongoloids after the globalization of dietary habits. Since major fatty acids are not converted into carbohydrate, lipid/energy ratio is an important dietary factor. As n-3 fatty acids are synthesized from α-linolenic acid and n-6 fatty acids are independently synthesized from linoleic acid in human body, n-3/n-6 ratio is another important dietary factor. HapMap project using the genome wide association study (GWAS) on linkage disequilibrium of SNPs revealed ancestry informative marker of Negroid, Mongoloid and Caucasoid. The increase in lipid/energy ratio induced dyslipidemia/diabetes among Mongoloids with thrifty SNPs (β-AR, UCP, PPAR etc.). The decrease in n-3/n-6 ratio caused cardiovascular diseases through bioactive substances (PG, LT, TX, resolvin, protectin etc.) produced by ethnically different SNPs of desaturase genes (FADS) etc.
