Diabetes Update: Non-Obese Asian Americans Are at High-Risk

Diabetes Type 2 are usually diagnosed among middle-aged patients whose diet includes drinking soda and eating fast food items and those who do not exercise.

Diabetes is a type of  condition in which the blood sugar levels are significantly higher than the normal and often keeps undiagnosed until it is too late. This is especially true among  Asians, who have not been considered as high risks for years. The disease is also considered as the seventh most common cause of death in the United States, which can often result in amputations, strokes, and blindness before becoming terminally ill. 

In order to keep diabetes from spreading among the nation's fastest-growing minority sectors, the health advocates and doctors are now working on the increased testing and treatment of the disease for Asian Americans like the Filipinos, Indians and Chinese. Diabetes, according to experts, can be prevented if people are aware that they are at risk. Dr. Edward Chow has worked in the Chinatown of San Francisco as an internist and has noted that being Asian is already a risk factor.  

In Los Angeles County, the Asian American adults have the record of the lowest obesity rate among ethnic groups, at 9 percent than the 18 percent of Caucasians and 29 percent of Blacks and Latinos. However, 10 percent of Asian Americans in the said area are diabetic, compared to the 7 percent of Caucasians in the area, in spite of the drastically lower levels of obesity in Asian Americans, according to Public Health.

The mismatch, according to scientists, could be due to the fact that obesity measures weight and not necessarily the fat, which is the main factor in diabetes.  Asians are prone to having more fat and less muscle compared to Europeans of similar height and weight. This means that an Asian who is not overweight or obese may have enough fat to become a high risk for diabetes.

Diabetes, according to studies, may be prevented through proper diet and exercise. However, choosing to have a lifestyle change could be difficult for Asian Americans since their healthy eating standards have usually been according to their traditional American diets, CDC reported.