A study conducted in Korea found that genetic risk score (GRS, calculated by four SNPs including HHEX-rs5015480) interacted with alcohol intake and increased the risk of development of T2D in the subjects with higher homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-B, an index of insulin secretion capacity) [29].The joint effect of smoking on the association of diabetes with the rs5015480 polymorphism among Korean subjects was examined, which was in line with our findings that rs5015480 interacted with drinking/smoking on T2D risk [30]. Here, INS is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.