Diabetes is a higher risk for Asian Americans
Asian-Americans run a two to three times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than the general population according to several studies. Complicating the issue is the fact that Asian Americans are much less likely to be obese than other Americans. Doctors are slow to diagnose Asian patients because they don't physically look as if they are at risk. Frequently, Asian Americans do not discover they have diabetes until the disease is advanced and the patient is already experiencing side effects such as extreme thirst, excessive urination, or blurred vision.
One theory on the higher likelihood -despite a lack of obesity - is the propensity to store fat in the abdomen. Fat stored in the abdomen is particularly unhealthy and has also been demonstrated as a better predictor of heart disease than weight or body mass index.
Knowledge is Power.
According to Dr. William Hsu, director of the Asian clinic at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Quincy, MA, at least 10 percent of the Asian population has type 2 diabetes. The number of Asians is growing because of a lack of knowledge among physicians to recognize the disease in a non-obese patient and the lack of knowledge within the Asian-American community. Other studies conducted by the center suggest that Asians do not discuss the disease - its symptoms or complications.
Community efforts to spread the news of the higher likelihood are underway in Quincy - where the Asian population is estimated to be above 10 percent.
The Department of Health released a survey that found the following statistics among adults in Massachusetts:
Asian population
4.4 percent considered obese
4.3 percent diabetic
General population
18.2 percent considered obese
5.2 percent diabetic
Help spread the word about this invisible disease among the Asian-American community. Urge everyone you know to try and live a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables - and make sure everyone pays attention to their waistlines, as storing fat in the abdomen seems to be particularly dangerous for future problems with both heart disease and diabetes.
