Why Asian Americans have diabetes but don¡¯t know it

[Randy W]

An article in the Washington Post - it's unclear if it would apply to Asians in general, or only those in the U.S. (that is, possibly diet-dependent, or due to the medical care they receive while in the U.S.). The South China Morning Post picked up on the article, but didn't change the wording. The study only referenced those in the U.S., of course.

 

In the SCMP - http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1857189/hidden-hazard-why-so-many-asian-americans-have-diabetes-dont-even-know-it

 

Why Asian Americans have diabetes but don’t know it

 

More than half of Asian Americans with diabetes don’t know they have the condition, according to new research that quantifies, for the first time, how common diabetes is among that minority group in the United States.

 

What’s even more surprising: Asian Americans have the highest proportion of undiagnosed diabetes among all ethnic and racial groups, at 51 percent, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

And something else to keep in mind: Asian Americans may be less overweight, generally, than the rest of the U.S. population, but they may actually be at greater risk for developing diabetes.

 

. . .

 

That’s because Asian Americans often develop diabetes at a lower body mass index, or BMI, than the U.S. population overall. (BMI estimates how much a person should weigh based on their height.) But it doesn’t address the distribution of fat in a person’s body. Fat around the waist is a risk factor for diabetes and other diseases, research has shown.

 

The latest analysis was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Other studies have found that many Asian Americans have higher blood pressure and more fat than other groups. "That may indicate a propensity to put on fat in the middle part of the body, even though their BMI looks okay,” Cowie said.

Asian Americans who are at risk may not realize it, and as a result, "they don't go to the doctor, and the doctor doesn’t do a blood test to look for diabetes,” she said.

 

. . .

 

What surprised researchers was their finding that about 21 percent of Asian Americans have diabetes, a prevalence comparable to that in blacks and Hispanics.

 

“Then to also find that about 50 percent of diabetes is undiagnosed in Asian Americans — it was those two statistics that are scary,” Cowie said.

 

Data for specific groups within the Asian American population were not available.

 

[Dennis143]

 

An article in the Washington Post - it's unclear if it would apply to Asians in general, or only those in the U.S. (that is, possibly diet-dependent, or due to the medical care they receive while in the U.S.). The South China Morning Post picked up on the article, but didn't change the wording. The study only referenced those in the U.S., of course.

 

In the SCMP - http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1857189/hidden-hazard-why-so-many-asian-americans-have-diabetes-dont-even-know-it

 

Why Asian Americans have diabetes but don’t know it

 

More than half of Asian Americans with diabetes don’t know they have the condition, according to new research that quantifies, for the first time, how common diabetes is among that minority group in the United States.

 

What’s even more surprising: Asian Americans have the highest proportion of undiagnosed diabetes among all ethnic and racial groups, at 51 percent, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

And something else to keep in mind: Asian Americans may be less overweight, generally, than the rest of the U.S. population, but they may actually be at greater risk for developing diabetes.

 

. . .

 

That’s because Asian Americans often develop diabetes at a lower body mass index, or BMI, than the U.S. population overall. (BMI estimates how much a person should weigh based on their height.) But it doesn’t address the distribution of fat in a person’s body. Fat around the waist is a risk factor for diabetes and other diseases, research has shown.

 

The latest analysis was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Other studies have found that many Asian Americans have higher blood pressure and more fat than other groups. "That may indicate a propensity to put on fat in the middle part of the body, even though their BMI looks okay,” Cowie said.

Asian Americans who are at risk may not realize it, and as a result, "they don't go to the doctor, and the doctor doesn’t do a blood test to look for diabetes,” she said.

 

. . .

 

What surprised researchers was their finding that about 21 percent of Asian Americans have diabetes, a prevalence comparable to that in blacks and Hispanics.

 

“Then to also find that about 50 percent of diabetes is undiagnosed in Asian Americans — it was those two statistics that are scary,” Cowie said.

 

Data for specific groups within the Asian American population were not available.

 

 

I have several Chinese friends here in the US who have diabetes. It's difficult to dispell Chinese thinking that Americans are fat because we eat too much meat and that a diet with too much noodles and rice can lead to diabetes. It seems that developing a more sedate Western lifestyle with their heavy carbohydrate diet tends to have a greater negative affect on Asians.

[True Blue]

You hit on it - the carbohydrates- American diets contain way too much carbohydrates including breads, crackers, cakes, snacks and pizza crust. When I was in China, I saw very few overweight Chinese. Other than the sodium, which can be controlled by using low sodium soy sauce, a Chinese diet is pretty healthy compared to an American diet. Avoid wheat, control carbohydrates and go back to a traditional Chinese diet and one will be healthier.

 

On the average, Chinese people appear to walk and exercise a lot more than Americans. Unfortunately, while Chinese generally exercise more and eat a healthier diet, too much tobacco use along with dirty air and water pollution serve to create other serious health issues for Chinese citizens.

 

True Blue