Strengths of this study include its large sample size and balanced representation of children of South Asian (including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi), black African-Caribbean (including black African, black Caribbean) and white European origin from three major UK cities; the measurement of important early risk markers for type 2 diabetes (particularly fasting glucose, HbA1c and markers of IR including fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and urate [36]; and the measurement of important early risk markers for CVD (particularly LDL-cholesterol and BP). This evidence concerns the gene INS and type 2 diabetes mellitus.