Diabetes In African Americans

Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans and their death rates are twenty seven percent higher than whites.

Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one third of them don’t know they have the disease. In addition, twenty five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 – 74 have diabetes and one in four African American women, over the age of 55, have been diagnosed with the disease

The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play roles in who will develop the disease.

Heredity

Researchers believe that African Americans and African Immigrants are predisposed to developing diabetes. Research suggests that African Americans and recent African immigrants have inherited a "thrifty gene" from their African ancestors.

This gene may have enabled Africans to use food energy more efficiently during cycles of feast and famine. Now, with fewer cycles of feast and famine, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African Immigrants.

This genetic predisposition, coupled with impaired glucose tolerance, is often associated with the genetic tendency toward high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood glucose levels and are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

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What is Diabetes?

Diabetes, commonly know as “sugar diabetes”, is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to process sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored.

Diabetics often suffer from low glucose levels (sugar) in their blood. Low blood sugar levels can make you disorientated, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have headaches, have sudden mood swings, have difficulty paying attention, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.

Types of Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels is higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system, but pre-diabetes can often be controlled by controlling blood glucose levels. By controlling pre-diabetes you can often prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes.

Type I or juvenile-onset diabetes usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can strike at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with this type of the disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin and this type of diabetes must be treated with daily insulin injections.

Type II or adult onset diabetes is responsible for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, “Type II is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don't exercise and who have cholesterol problems.” In the early stages it can often be controlled with lifestyle changes, but in the later stages diabetic pills or insulin injections are often needed.

Pregnancy related diabetes or gestational diabetes can occur in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes is often associated with high glucose blood levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The disease usually goes away after delivery, but women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom

increased thirst

increased appetite

blurred vision

unusual weight loss

increased fatigue

irritability

Complications from Diabetes

Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life threatening complications. Strokes, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputations are common complications that effect African Americans who have diabetes

Kidney Disease

“Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about thirty percent of the new cases each year,” says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people who develop diabetes will develop kidney disease.

Amputations

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States. More than sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in America occur among people with diabetes and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated due to diabetes than whites. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed among people with diabetes in 2001.

Blindness

African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness. Diabetics can develop a condition called “Diabetic Retinopathy”, a disease affecting the blood vessels of the eye, which can lead to impaired vision and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20 – 74 years of age and up to 24,000 people loose their sight each year because of diabetes.

Heart Disease

People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease as people who don’t have diabetes. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is more common in diabetics and can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation throughout the body.

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Diabetes Risk Factors

You have a greater risk for developing diabetes if you have any of the following:

Obesity

Family history of diabetes

Pre-diabetes

Low physical activity

Age greater than 45 years

High blood pressure

High blood levels of triglycerides

HDL cholesterol of less than 35

Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing more than 9 pounds

Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans.

African Americans suffer from complications from diabetes at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. African Americans are three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated because of diabetes and twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness.

If you have any of the diabetes risk factors you should contact your physician and have a blood glucose test. Also discuss with your physician lifestyle changes you can take to lower your chances of developing diabetes.

About The Author
Drahcir Semaj is a freelance writer who writes about issues affecting African Americans. He can be contacted at drachir@drachirsemaj.com

Diabetes risk more easily controlled by food choice in blacks, Hispanics

A study in the July issue of Diabetes Care shows that blacks, Asians and Hispanics in the United States run a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, but it is easier for those groups to reduce their diabetes risk through dietary changes than it is for whites. Researchers studied 78,000 nurses in good health who didn't have diabetes, and who participated in the Nurses' Health Study beginning in 1980. The nurses filled out diet and lifestyle questionnaires in 1980, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 before the researchers completed their study in 2000. In the 20 years that the nurses were studied, 3,844 developed type 2 diabetes.

After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), researchers concluded that compared to whites, blacks were 34 percent more likely to have diabetes, Hispanics were 86 percent more likely, and Asians were 126 percent more likely.

While Asians had the lowest average BMI, they ran the highest risk of experiencing diabetes after weight gain. The researchers recommended lowering the cutoff BMI values that identify Asians as high-risk for diabetes. Blacks had the highest average BMI, but weight gain appeared to have a lower impact on diabetes risk than it did for whites.

However, blacks, Hispanics and Asians who adjusted their diet to include more fiber and unsaturated fats, while eating fewer foods that spike blood sugar or contain trans fats, experienced a greater reduction in diabetes risk than whites who similarly adjusted their diet.

Recent research conducted at UCLA shows that type-2 diabetes can be cured in over fifty percent of patients in only a few weeks through simple changes in diet that eliminate sugars, refined carbohydrates and processed foods. Despite the clear evidence demonstrating the causal link between foods and diabetes, the American Diabetes Association continues to claim that sugar consumption does not cause type-2 diabetes and suggests that diabetics control blood sugar through medication (prescription drugs and insulin) rather than food choice.

Whole grains cut diabetes risk for black women

Black women who eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods, especially whole grains, may lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, new research shows.

African Americans are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than whites, Dr. Rob M. van Dam of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues note in their report in Diabetes Care. Some studies suggest, they add, that calcium and magnesium may help lower type 2 diabetes risk, but this research has been done in predominantly white populations.

To investigate whether intake of these minerals might be tied to diabetes risk among black individuals as well, the researchers looked at 41,186 women participating in the Black Women's Health Study. None of them had diabetes at the study's outset, but 1,964 developed type 2 diabetes during eight years of follow-up.

High intakes of magnesium and calcium went hand in hand with healthier habits, such as a more active lifestyle and a lower intake of red meat and saturated fat, the researchers found.

After adjusting for these factors, women who consumed the most magnesium had a 31% lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those with the least amount of magnesium in their diet, the researchers found. However, there was no independent link between calcium intake and diabetes risk.

Eating more whole grains and low-fat dairy foods also reduced the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, the researchers found.

Given that the benefits of magnesium may be related to other substances contained in magnesium-rich foods like whole grains, vegetables, cereals, and milk, van Dam and his team add, it's not clear whether taking magnesium supplements would have the same benefits.

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, October 2006

Eating Soulfully and Healthfully with Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, 2.8 million African Americans over the age of 20 currently have diabetes*. That’s 10 African Americans for every 6 white Americans with diabetes.

“There are several reasons for this disparity,” explains Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN. One is genetic: African Americans are more susceptible to diabetes than whites. They also have a higher rate of obesity, which also increases the risk of diabetes. The other reason is cultural — typically African Americans have less access to diabetes information than whites, and the food plan required to lower diabetic risk and control diabetes is atypical for many African Americans.

While the genetic causes are uncontrollable, the cultural risk factors can be remedied. As a nationally recognized nutritionist, registered dietitian, and certified diabetes educator with over twenty-five years of experience, Brown-Riggs decided she wanted to help this group get and stay healthy.As part of her plan, she has written Eating Soulfully and Healthfully with Diabetes (http://www.eatingsoulfully.com, $17.95 pb), a comprehensive guide that provides nutrition information and carbohydrate-counts for foods that will appeal to African Americans who suffer from diabetes.

Diabetes educators agree that the first step to prevention and management of diabetes is access to helpful information. It is especially important for African Americans to understand the dangers of diabetes since they have a higher risk for complications like kidney failure, visual impairment, or amputation. Lack of education* is the first problem that Brown-Riggs tackles in her book, explaining diabetes and clearly outlining how it can be managed.

The hardest part of diabetes management, however, is food. “The basic dietary recommendations for those with diabetes are culturally insensitive,” observes Brown-Riggs. “People with diabetes are generally given vague instructions like ‘stay away from sugar,’ or ‘just eat smaller portions’ which only make everything more frustrating. And,” she points out, “instructions for food management typically don’t take into account cultural or ethnic food preferences.” She hopes her book offers one step toward solving this problem.

In Eating Soulfully and Healthfully with Diabetes, Brown-Riggs has devised several ways for people with diabetes to be mindful of their eating habits while still enjoying foods popular in the American South and the Caribbean. Her “Soul Food Pyramid” for those with diabetes organizes food by carbohydrates, since the carbohydrates break down into glucose, and it is the glucose that is out of balance in people with diabetes. The 96-pages of charts include all the necessary nutritional information, from portion size and calories to fat and carbohydrate grams, even carb choices and exchanges depending on what plan works best for each individual. Alongside information on turkey burgers and omelets, there is also information on dishes like blackened catfish and stewed tomatoes and okra.

This should help African Americans to prepare and enjoy traditional ethnic fare while maintaining normal glucose levels and healthy food intake. While offering important resources and valuable tips, Brown-Riggs also encourages everyone with diabetes to shed pounds, improve food choices, and exercise.

With the help of Eating Soulfully and Healthfully with Diabetes, African Americans will be able to better adapt their lifestyle to diabetes management without sacrificing the foods they love. And diabetes educators will be able to better address the cultural needs of their African American patients.

Eating Soulfully and Healthfully with Diabetes includes •A Diabetes Soul Food Pyramid and explanation •An extensive listing of traditional foods from the South and Caribbean •Fast food and brand-name nutrient information and label-reading advice •A two-week soul food menu plan and sample food diary •A glossary of food terms •Tips for upscale dining

This book provides life-saving information for people with diabetes and will help educate families while also serving as an excellent resource for health care providers and diabetes and dietetics professionals.

*Of the 2.8 million African Americans with diabetes, only 1.5 million have been diagnosed. An estimated 730,000 don’t know they have the disease!

To request a review copy, arrange an interview with Constance Brown-Riggs, request cover art to be sent to you electronically, or for any additional information, please contact Kate Bandos at KSB Promotions • 800-304-3269 or 616-676-0758 • fax 616-676-0759 • kate@ksbpromotions.com

Eating Soulfully and Healthfully with Diabetes Includes Exchange List and Carbohydrate Counts for Traditional Foods from the American South and Caribbean

by: Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN 220 pages • 6 x 9 • Multiple charts •Line illustrations SBN-10: 0-595-38051-4 •ISBN-13: 978-0-595-38051-0 $17.95 trade paperback • Publication date: June 2006

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