INS and diabetes mellitus: • Insulin resistance is a pathophysiological factor and precursor for diabetes in all ethnic populations. However, South Asians are shown to be shown to be more insulin resistant than Caucasian populations even at younger ages and lower levels of BMI. Some of this increased propensity for insulin resistance in South Asians might be attributed to greater deposition of visceral fat in South Asians as compared to Caucasians.