Many members of EsTuDiabetes, our sister network in Spanish, were interviewed for this book.
EXCERPT of BOOK:
Introduction: Why Latinos Need to Take on the Diabetes Problema Now
The latest findings about who has and who will get diabetes are alarming. At last estimate in 2007, almost 24 million people in the United States already had diabetes, and a quarter of them had no idea that they did. A conservative estimate of the number of diabetic Americans by the year 2030 is over 30 million, but it’s likely to turn out to be much higher than that. Currently over two and a half million Latinos (about 10 percent of the people afflicted with diabetes in the U.S.) are believed to have diabetes as well. A child born in the new millennium is estimated to have a one in three chance of developing diabetes at some point; for certain ethnic minorities, the risk is closer to one in two. Unfortunately Hispanics fall into the second risk category.
How do you know if you’re considered Latino, Hispanic, or both?
How do you know if your ethnic group is Latino, Hispanic, or both? By definition, ethnic groups are classified according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background. According to that definition, Hispanics are people of Latin American descent living in the United States, particularly those with origins in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, or other Central or South American countries. Latinos are individuals of Latin American descent whose ancestors came from any of the countries south of the United States. Confused about the difference? So are we. Apparently the term “Hispanic” was created by the U.S. federal government in the early 1970s in an attempt to provide a common denominator to a large but diverse population with connections to the Spanish language and a culture from a Spanish-speaking country. “Latino” is becoming more accepted within this minority group itself, but in this book we will use the two terms interchangeably to cover everyone.
Latinos of any race now comprise America’s largest minority group (slightly edging out African Americans) and remain the fastest-growing segment of the population. As of the 2000 census, more than 44 million Latinos were living in the United States, accounting for almost 15 percent of the total population, and they are expected to comprise 30 percent of Americans by the middle of this century. A diverse and heterogeneous group, we Latinos share a common ancestry, language, and culture, even with a mix of European, African, Asian, and Native American blood.
Your risk for developing diabetes is higher than average
Unfortunately all Latinos share an increased incidence of diabetes regardless of ethnic mix. We Latinos are second only to Native Americans in having the highest incidence of diabetes in the United States, and we get it at earlier ages than other populations. Among Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans, the age of onset is thirty to fifty years. More than 10 percent of all Mexican Americans twenty or older have diabetes, which is almost twice the rate of non-Hispanic whites of a similar age. Cuban Americans have a slightly lower rate of diabetes than Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans, but still higher than non-Hispanic whites. Thus health concerns like diabetes in Latino communities can have serious and wide-reaching implications for the national health care system and America’s collective health, not to mention the health of any of your relatives living south of the United States in your family’s native country.
Why is your diabetes risk higher if you’re Latino? It may have to do with the genes you inherited, but obviously there are other factors (e.g., lifestyle choices) that may be equally, if not more, important in the disease’s development. Fortunately, we now know that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable even if you have a higher risk due to your ethnicity, as demonstrated by a study of over 3,200 people concluded in 2003. All of the individuals participating in the Diabetes Prevention Program had prediabetes and were at high risk of developing the disease. At least 15 percent were Latinos, and the results showed that lifestyle choices—diet, exercise, and body weight—can make it possible to delay or prevent diabetes onset in two out of every three Hispanic individuals, more than when all ethnic groups were included. From this study alone you can conclude that while being Latino may increase your risk of getting diabetes, the lifestyle choices that you make likely will have a greater effect.
What can happen if you don’t control your diabetes?
Although it’s not fun to think about, we think you should be aware of the harm that diabetes can do. Ignoring your diabetes care and claiming ignorance about its possible consequences is not the way to go with this disease. Why? Because diabetes worldwide causes more than 3.2 million deaths per year, or six deaths every minute, and probably more. The leading cause of death in all Americans is heart disease, whether or not you have diabetes. As Latinos, however, we have a higher risk of developing and dying from diabetes, and we’re also twice as likely as other populations to experience complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, amputations, and nerve damage. This insidious disease is the sixth leading cause of death in Latino communities and the fourth leading cause of death among Latino women and seniors.
Having an elevated blood glucose or blood sugar level can have a tremendously negative impact on your long-term health and enjoyment of life. Diabetes has the potential to rob you, on average, of more than twelve years of your life while reducing the quality of life for twenty or more years.
Diabetes causes other health problems that can severely limit your quality of life. For instance, elevated blood sugar levels over time can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Poorly controlled diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults, with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (a severe form of diabetic eye disease) alone causing tens of thousands of these new cases in addition to those caused by glaucoma, cataracts, and neuropathy of the optic or eye muscle nerves. Poorly managed diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney disease treated by dialysis and ultimately kidney transplants. Nerve damage can cause numbness in feet or hands, gastroparesis (slowing of the digestion of food), carpal tunnel syndrome, and severe dizziness when standing up, and can lead to toe, foot, and leg amputations. If you’re pregnant and have diabetes, your baby can get too big and have a higher risk of birth defects unless you effectively control your blood sugar.
But despite these sobering facts, we’re here to reassure you that you can live a long and healthy life with diabetes or prediabetes. The rest of Diabetes? No Problema! will teach you everything you need to know to improve your health through means within your control, like your diet, physical activity, and stress management. The good news is that it’s possible for you to start gaining health benefits today. Taking control of your diabetes is important for you and your whole family!
Diabetes? No Problema! will be available nationwide in bookstores and on the Internet in early July 2009. You can pre-order it now.
About the Authors
Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, is an exercise physiologist and professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University and adjunct professor of internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. A respected researcher and lecturer, she has authored more than 150 research and educational articles on exercise, diabetes, and health, as well as numerous books, including Diabetes-Free Kids, The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan, 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes, The Science of Staying Young, and Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook. Her informative articles and books are available on her website at www.shericolberg.com.
Leonel Villa-Caballero, MD, PhD, was born in Mexico City. A researcher and clinician in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California–San Diego School of Medicine, he has more than fifteen years of experience treating patients with diabetes. Currently he serves as director of the Latino Initiative of Taking Control of your Diabetes (TCOYD), a non-profit organization that educates and empowers people with diabetes. He received the American Diabetes Association’s Cielo Award in 2006 and was recognized in America’s Top Physicians in 2007. With his expertise in cultural aspects of Latino health, he is an investigator for various federal research grant projects and serves as a consultant to various biomedical companies focused on Latino health care issues.