diabetes and colder climates

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Excerpt from http://thediabeticnews.com/news/1331.shtml Researchers from the University of Chicago have discovered that many of the genetic variations that have enabled human populations to tolerate colder climates may also affect their susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of related abnormalities such as obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease, and diabetes. More than 100 years ago, scientists noted that humans inhabiting colder regions were bulkier and had relatively shorter arms and legs. In the 1950s, researchers found correlations between colder climates and increased body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat, based on height and weight. If your read the entire article, it goes on to say they located the reason stemming from the leptin receptor a gene in the brain that is responsible for appetie and energy balance. This is pretty interesting news, what do you guys think?