Asian Americans and Diabetes

 

 It's a troubling trend.  Cases of type 2 diabetes are steadily climbing in the U.S. due in large part to
inactivity and obesity.  A new report paints an even grimmer picture, exposing higher rates of the condition among Asian Americans.  A scientist from Johns Hopkins University says genes and lifestyle are to blame.  Jessica Yeh, the senior researcher of this latest study in the journal Diabetes Care explains, "Asians may be even more susceptible to unhealthy food and related weight gain."  She points to studies that have found although Asian-American adults don't weigh as much as their white and black counterparts, they often have more fat around the abdominal organs which is associated with Type 2 diabetes.
  The findings are another reminder to lose those extra pounds and become more physically active.  More than 23 million Americans now have diabetes.  Are you doing your part to make sure you don't become one of them?

From Reuters:
 The findings are based on 230,500 U.S. adults who took part in a nationally representative government health survey between 1997 and 2008. Just over 11,000 were Asian American, with the majority being foreign-born.
Over the 12 years of the study, the number of Asian Americans reporting a diabetes diagnosis rose from just over 4 percent to 8 percent. Among white adults, the prevalence rose from just under 4 percent to 6 percent.
That was despite the fact that compared with their white counterparts, Asian Americans had a consistently lower body mass index, or BMI -- a measure of weight in relation to height -- and lower rates of obesity. In 2006-2008, 25 percent of whites were obese, versus 17 percent of Asians.
When Yeh's team accounted for factors like age, BMI, income and reported exercise levels, Asian background itself was linked to a 30 percent to 50 percent higher likelihood of having diabetes.
"The main implication of our study is that type 2 diabetes is a growing public health problem for Asian Americans that requires urgent attention," Yeh's team writes.
 Yeh recommends that along with making healthy lifestyle choices, middle-aged and older Asian Americans should be sure to have routine check-ups with their doctor. Blood sugar tests can detect the abnormally high levels that signal "pre-diabetes."