Diabetes in African Americans
With the increasing change in our lifestyle, there are many lifestyle diseases that are on the rise. Lifestyle diseases have claimed millions of lives and the menace is still to continue with no apparent change in our diet and lifestyle. One of the lifestyle diseases that are claiming million of lives is type II diabetes. Diabetes which leads to reduced absorption of sugar in the body leading to high levels of blood sugar has claimed million of lives and incapacitated others as it comes with many complications. While diabetes can be managed through diet, the increase consumption of refined food with tendency to live a sedentary life remains the highest predisposing factor. However analysis of the prevalence of the disease shows that African Americans are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications. There are many factors which predispose African Americans to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus is one of the challenges that American is facing as a nation. More than 30 million African Americans have an increased risk of suffering from type II diabetes compared to other populations in the united stats. Statistics reveal that there are more and more African Americans who are suffering from diabetes mellitus each and every year. Fro example in 1993, there were more than 1.3 African Americans suffering from diabetes which was three times the figure of African Americans who were suffering from the disease in 1963. Statistics also reveal that for every white Americans who is diagnosed with the condition, 1.6 African Americans are diagnosed and for every one African Americans diagnosed with the condition at least one is not diagnosed. The recent prevalence shows that one in every four black Americans women above the age of 55 years has type II diabetes while twenty five percent of black Americans between 65 and 74 years may be suffering from the condition.
Causes
There are two type of diabetes. The first one is juvenile onset of type 1 diabetes which occurs to individual below the age of 25 years. This is usually cased by the inability of the body to produce insulin. This can be due the failure of the pancreas to secret insulin or there may be production of low levels insulin or insensitivity of body cells to insulin. The other is type 2 diabetes or non insulin diabetes which is the most prevalence form of diabetes especially among the aged. For African Americans, there are three main factors which predispose them to the condition. (Black Health Care.com, 2008)
The first factor is the genetic factor where it has been shown that they had inherited trait or a thrifty gene which they have inherited from their ancestors. This gene which was used by African slaves to survive feast and famine has made it difficult for them to control their weigh which predispose them to the condition. The second factor is the medical factors where it has been found out that African Americans have impaired glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia. However the leading medical factor is obesity. African Americans have shown a higher truncal or upper body obesity which predisposes them to the condition. This factor remains controversial because the population of African Americans with upper body obesity has a higher rate of obesity compared to the same white population. The last factor is life style risk factors where lack of physical exercise has been cited as a leading factor. (American Diabetes Association, 2008)
Effects and management
Increased type II diabetes among African Americans has been shown to have various negative effects on their life. African Americans have been shown to have a higher rate of complications especially blindness, kidney failure, and amputation. African Americans also suffer from higher rate of disability from complications compared to the rest of the population. While diabetes was not counted as a leading cause of death among African Americans, today it has been cited as one of the leading causes of death among the population. (American Diabetes Association, 2008)
Unlike type 1 diabetes where individuals become permanently reliance on insulin since the body does not produce, type 2 diabetes can be managed using diet and physical exercises. The two leading cause of the condition as we have seen is increase consumption of refined foods and lack of physical exercise which pushes insulin demand to the roof. Diet and exercise has been cited as most effective tool that can manage type II diabetes. For diabetes it is advisable for individuals to consume whole unrefined food, reduced the intake of carbohydrates in order to reduce weight, increase the intake green vegetables, reduce intake of fat, and increase intake of water. This is meant to reduce weight and reduce the amount of sugar intake. Individual are also encouraged to engage in physical exercise for not less than 30 minutes at least three times in a week. Longer but low intensity exercises like jogging, cycling, walking at a panting pace, are recommended since they lead to reduction of fat in the body and increase the function of the body. Exercise also improves the ability of the body for sugar uptake by increasing functioning of the insulin.
For more information contact http://www.topmarkessays.com/