It is interesting that the odds ratios observed for these marker SNPs were larger in Japanese Americans than in the original discovery cohorts, and in the other ethnic groups in our study. A meta-analysis of 7 association studies in Japanese populations replicated associations from studies in European populations for 7 loci under study (TCF7L2, CDKAL1, CDKN2B, IGF2BP2, SLC30A8, KCNJ11, and HHEX) [24]. A recent GWAS in Japanese observed significant associations in KCNQ1 as well as these same 7 loci and, similar to our observations, noted magnitudes of effect that were generally stronger than previously observed in European populations [25]. Additional studies in other Asian populations have replicated associations with many of these loci as well [24], [26]–[28].
