Diabetes and Hispanic Americans

Roughly 41.3 million people in the United States today are Hispanic. That breaks down to one in every seven people. Hispanic Americans represent the second-largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States. And all of that growth comes with a staggering rate of Diabetes.

According to the 2003 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, more than 1.5 million Hispanic Americans had Diabetes, up from less than 1.2 million in 1997. As high as the rate of Diabetes appears among Hispanics, it doesn't include undiagnosed cases.

Disease Prevention and Treatment by the Life Extension Foundation states that roughly 5.4 million people in the United States have Diabetes and are unaware of it. "Minorities are at particular risk. Compared with Caucasians, blacks have a 60 percent higher risk of developing Diabetes and Hispanics have a 90 percent increased risk."

According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), Hispanics are 1.9 times more likely to have Diabetes than whites.

Obesity is a major contributor to the onset of Type 2 diabetes. According to the NDIC, minority ethnic groups in the United States that have high rates of Obesity are on the rise, especially Hispanic Americans. The problem isn't just owing to the adults within those groups. Food Politics author Marion Nestle writes, "Obesity rates are rising among children and adolescents, especially those who are African-American or Hispanic. In the early 1990s, for example, 23 percent of white girls aged six to 11 were overweight, compared to 29 percent of Mexican-American girls - Pediatricians report seeing children with high levels of serum cholesterol, high blood pressure, and "adult" onset diabetes (type 2) at earlier and earlier ages - all consequences of excessive caloric intake. Because Obesity tends to persist into adulthood, this condition may well predispose overweight and obese children to cardiovascular and other chronic disease risks later in life."

The next generation of obese Hispanic-Americans is becoming diabetic progressively earlier. But these kids aren't becoming obese entirely of their own accord. Saturated Fat May Save Your Life author Bruce Fife writes, "Children with Type 2 diabetes look a lot like their adult counterparts. Most are black or Hispanic, with a particularly high rate found among children of Mexican descent." The NDIC reports that Mexican Americans make up the largest percentage of the Hispanic population in the United States; they also represent the largest percentage of Hispanic Americans with diabetes. Although Mexican Americans seem even more disposed toward developing diabetes, all Hispanic Americans run a high risk.