Author notes

Peter K. Joshi, Tonu Esko, Ozren Polašek and James F. Wilson: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Centre for Global Health Research, Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK Peter K. Joshi, Igor Rudan, Harry Campbell, Ozren Polašek & James F. Wilson

Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Riia 23b, 51010, Tartu, Estonia Tonu Esko, Reedik Mägi, Evelin Mihailov, Lili Milani, Mari Nelis, Natalia Tšernikova, Andrew P. Morris, Andres Metspalu & Markus Perola

Division of Endocrinology and Center for Basic and Translational Obesity Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Cambridge, 02141, Massachusetts, USA Tonu Esko, Yingleong Chan, Sailaja Vedantam, Rany M. Salem & Joel N. Hirschhorn

Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute, Cambridge Center 7, Cambridge, 02242, Massachusetts, USA Tonu Esko, Yingleong Chan, Sailaja Vedantam, Rany M. Salem, Cecilia M. Lindgren & Joel N. Hirschhorn

Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA Tonu Esko, Yingleong Chan, Sailaja Vedantam, Rany M. Salem & Joel N. Hirschhorn

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National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK Sian-Tsun Tang & Jaspal S. Kooner

Department of Public Health Sciences, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, 60153, Illinois, USA Bamidele O. Tayo & Richard S. Cooper

NIHR Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leicester, Glenfield Hospital, Groby Road, Leicester, LE3 9QP, UK Maciej Tomaszewski & Nilesh J. Samani

Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, Tartu, 51010, Estonia Natalia Tšernikova & Andres Metspalu

Centre for Vascular Prevention, Danube-University Krems, Krems, 3500, Austria Jaakko Tuomilehto

Diabetes Research Group, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia Jaakko Tuomilehto

Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, Rotterdam, 3000, CA, The Netherlands Andre G. Uitterlinden

Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA Dhananjay Vaidya

Finnish Lung Health Association, Sibeliuksenkatu 11 A 1, Helsinki, FI-00250, Finland Tuula Vasankari

Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Rd, Herston, Brisbane, 4006, Queensland, Australia John B. Whitfield & Nicholas G. Martin

Diabetes Unit, KEM Hospital and Research Centre, Rasta Peth, Pune, 411011, India. Chittaranjan S. Yajnik

Department of Medicine, Renal Unit, University of Verona, Piazzale A. Stefani 1, Verona, 37124, Italy Gianluigi Zaza

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 44106, Ohio, USA Xiaofeng Zhu

Department of Medicine, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, 94305, California, USA Mads Melbye

Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, 3615 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, 19104, Pennsylvania, USA Struan F.A. Grant & Hakon Hakonarson

Translational Gerontology Branch, National institute on Aging, Baltimore, 21225, Maryland, USA Luigi Ferrucci

Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, No. 9 Edinburgh Bioquarter, 9 Little France Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4UX, UK Andrew D. Morris

Centre for Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics, Medical Research Institute, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and School of Medicine, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK Colin N. A. Palmer

Princess Al-Jawhara Al-Brahim Centre of Excellence in Research of Hereditary Disorders (PACER-HD), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia Panos Deloukas

Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Campus, St Dunstan's Road, London, W6 8RP, UK Lars Bertram

Department of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany Anke Tönjes

Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, The Capital Region, Copenhagen, 2000, Denmark Thorkild I. A. Sørensen

Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, 35294, Alabama, USA Donna K. Arnett

Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, Groningen, 9700 RB, The Netherlands Albertine J. Oldehinkel

Epidemiology of diabetes, obesity and chronic kidney disease over the lifecourse, Inserm, CESP Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health U1018, 16 Avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier, 94807 Villejuif, France Beverley Balkau

Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Via G. Moscati 31/34, Roma, 00168, Italy Giovanni Gambaro

Department of Biostatistics, University of Liverpool, Duncan Building, Daulby Stree, Liverpool, L69 3GA, UK Andrew P. Morris

Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland Johan G. Eriksson

Vasa Central Hospital, Sandviksgatan 2-4, Vasa, FI-65130, Finland Johan G. Eriksson

Folkhälsan Reasearch Centre, PB 63, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland Johan G. Eriksson

Unit of General Practice, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Haartmaninkatu 4, Helsinki, FI-00290, Finland Johan G. Eriksson

Neuro-Imaging Genetics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Rd, Herston, Brisbane, 4006, Queensland, Australia Margie J. Wright

Cardiovascular Genetics Division, University of Utah, 420 Chipeta Way, Room 1160, Salt Lake City, 84117, Utah, USA Steven C. Hunt

Alzheimer Scotland Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK John M. Starr

Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, PO Box 2040, Rotterdam, 3000, CA, The Netherlands Henning Tiemeier

National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), P.O.Box 30, Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki, FI-00271, Finland Jaakko Kaprio

Department of Kinesiology, Laval University, 2300 rue de la Terrasse, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada Louis Pérusse

Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State Street, Jackson, 39216, Mississippi, USA James G. Wilson

Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, FI-20521, Finland Olli Raitakari

Research Center of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular medicine, University of Turku, Turku, FI-20521, Finland Olli Raitakari

Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, Groningen, 9700 RB, The Netherlands Pim van der Harst

Department of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, Box 6501, Stockholm, SE-113 83, Sweden Magnus Johannesson

Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Box 281, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Sweden Patrik K. E. Magnusson

Department of Genetics and Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4444 Forest Park Boulevard, Saint Louis, 63108, Missouri, USA Ingrid B. Borecki

Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA Diane M. Becker

Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 940 Stanton Young Boulevard, Oklahoma City, 73104, Oklahoma, USA Dharambir K. Sanghera

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, 73104, Oklahoma, USA Dharambir K. Sanghera

Sidra Medical and Research Centre, Doha, Qatar Paolo Gasparini

The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, 10029, New York, USA Ruth J. F. Loos

Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, #02-01 Genome, 138672, Singapore, Singapore Giriraj R. Chandak

Department of Medicine, Program for Personalised and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 Baltimore St. MSTF, Baltimore, 21201, Maryland, USA Alan R. Shuldiner

Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, 685 W Baltimore MSTF, Baltimore, 21201, Maryland, USA Alan R. Shuldiner

BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 126 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK Naveed Sattar

Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 137 E. Franklin Street, Suite 306, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA Kari E. North

Departments of Medicine, Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Epidemiology and Health Services, University of Washington, 1730 Minor Ave, Suite 1360, Seattle, 98101, Washington, USA Bruce M. Psaty

Group Health Research Institute, Group Health Cooperative, 1730 Minor Ave, Suite 1360, Seattle, 98101, Washington, USA Bruce M. Psaty

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Imperial College London, Praed Street, London, W2 1NY, UK John C. Chambers & Jaspal S. Kooner

Population Health Research Institute, St George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK David P. Strachan

Steno Diabetes Centre, Niels Steensens Vej 2, Gentofte, 2820, Denmark Tarunveer S. Ahluwalia

Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore Marie Loh

Centre for Population Health Sciences, Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK Sarah Wild

Institutes for Neurogenetics and Integrative & Experimental Genomics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, 23562, Germany Lars Bertram