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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Weighing too much is one of the major risk factors for type 2 diabetes. But you may not realize that being of Asian decent increases your risk, too — close to 60% higher than that of whites of European heritage. If you are Asian and American born your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is higher than that of immigrant populations, and the risk increases with subsequent generations in this country. Many doctors, however, do not screen for diabetes in this population because patients, for the most part, are slimmer.
Over 220 million people in the world have diabetes. For Asians, diabetes related deaths have emerged as the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 45 to 64. With 13 million Americans identifying themselves as at least part Asian, this becomes a large at-risk population.
One of the most effective ways to prevent type 2 diabetes is to screen susceptible groups for prediabetes – a condition characterized by being overweight, having high HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and slightly elevated blood glucose values. Anyone with 3 or more of these risk factors is classified as having prediabetes and they are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes within the next 10 years. Weight lose, exercise and diet changes can prevent this progression. But, prevention cannot happen if one is not screened and diagnosed.
At any weight Asian Americans are more likely to develop diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Chinese Americans are 5 to 7 times more likely than native Chinese to develop diabetes, Filipino Americans are 4 to 5 times more likely, Korean Americans are 3 to 4 times more likely, and Japanese Americans are twice as likely. Why?
There are many contributing factors to the development of type 2 diabetes. At this point the research on Asian Americans at risk is scarce, but a few facts keep emerging. As an ethnic group, Asians have lower overall body weights but more central body fat — fat in the belly area. Known as visceral adipose tissue (VAT), belly fat is connected to insulin resistance –the inability of the body to recognize and use insulin correctly.
In a study of second and third generation Japanese Americans, those with higher amounts of belly fat had a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes. The increase in extra fat accumulation in the center of the body appears connected to adopting a westernized lifestyle — less exercise, and eating more animal fat and fewer complex carbs. The longer someone of Asian decent lives in the US the higher their risk. For Asians, the genetic predisposition to central obesity coupled with a western lifestyle seems to work in combination to increase the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Some researchers have suggested that the traditional BMIs (body mass index) used to screen for overweight and obesity need to be adjusted down for Asians. A BMI over 25 is considered overweight, with BMIs over 30 as obese. It has been recommended that 23 be used as the cutoff for normal weight for Asians, with 25 and over as the threshold for obesity.
Currently, the research on Asians with diabetes is limited and the contrast between immigrants and subsequent generations needs further comparisons. While we gather this information, simple steps can and should be taken to prevent and treat diabetes in Asian Americans. Screening for prediabetes should be done routinely to find and treat those at risk. This screening would not only identify those with prediabetes but it would discover many undiagnosed cases of diabetes as well. Additionally, those of Asian decent need to know that their genetic profile may put them at greater risk for diabetes when they abandon more traditional diet and exercise patterns. Awareness that a problem exists is the first step to correcting it.
For more information on managing type 2 diabetes you may want to take a look at one of my books, The Diabetes Counter, 4th Ed. available from Pocket Books.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales of more than 8.5 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Diabetes Counter, 4th Ed., 2011
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to TheNutritionExperts
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