DNA sequences flanking the insulin gene on chromosome 11 confer risk of atherosclerosis

The allelic frequency of DNA restriction fragments of a large size class (U alleles) in the polymorphic region flanking the 5'-end of the human insulin gene on chromosome 11 was 2 X 5 times higher in a group of patients with extensive atherosclerosis than in subjects in whom atherosclerosis could not be demonstrated by coronary arteriography and careful clinical examination. The U alleles apparently do not confer risk of atherosclerosis through conventional risk factors such as body weight or blood pressure or levels of blood glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, or lipoproteins.