Type 2 Diabetes And Its Effect To African American Women

African American Women are at a higher risk to Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes can be categorized as the most common type of diabetes that affects people worldwide. In the United States alone, at least 90% of people with diabetes are affected with type 2 diabetes. While diabetes can be controlled, you cannot prevent it from occurring. The most common cause of diabetes is genetics, one that you have acquired if your family has a history of diabetes. Your age also plays a great role in the progress of such illness. As you get older, your body system tends to change, causing you to have a slower metabolism thus raising your blood sugar. Ethnicity is also a factor in the progress of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes among African American Women

Recent studies proved that, among the millions of African American women born, those who were born with a significant low weight will likely experience a type 2 diabetes in the future. Research and statistics showed that there is a higher occurrence of type 2 diabetes in African American women than any other ethnicity in the United States. Diabetes is one of the most common illnesses African American ethnicity is facing today. Starting at age 55, 1 in every 4 African American women in the United States have diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can also be considered as the non insulin inducing type. In fact, people with type 2 diabetes naturally produce insulin that controls the  sugar in the body, however, they are not properly digested by the body or that the pancreas produces very small amount of insulin.

The Research Program

The Slone Epidemiology Center from the Boston University conducted a series of observation of 21,000 women registered in the Black Women' Health Study. In a span of 16 years, doctors concluded that most women who acquired type 2 diabetes had something in common after analyzing their birth characteristics and that is having a low birth weight. Medical researchers have confirmed that it is not about the body size that determines the risk of diabetes but the weight.

Other characteristics considered during the experimental period include body mass index, lifestyle and other activities deemed to affect type 2 diabetes to an individual. In recent years, the study of  diabetes has been a general yet systematic way to reduce an individual's risk, as well as providing medicine to slow down the progress of diabetes. Today, researchers are more keen on knowing who are at risk and what can be done to prevent it.

The Research Findings

The study that was conducted by the Boston University showed that there is indeed a 13% risk of African American with low birth weight to acquire the illness than those who were born with a normal weight. Low birth weight, as implied by the University of Boston can also be in the form of a very low birth weight in which, they are 40% at risk of having a type 2 diabetes. Low birth weight is considered to be below 5.5 pounds and very low birth weight is lower than 3.3 pounds.

Past studies have indicated that impact of birth weight as well as the progress of an individual before acquiring type 2 diabetes, and while it remains firm that weight is indeed a major factor in the development of diabetes, this current study conducted by the Boston University has been by far the widest scope to show its effect for African American women.

Edward Ruiz Narvaez, an assistant professor at the Boston University confirmed that the risk of African American women getting a type 2 diabetes is indeed higher compared to white women of their corresponding age. The association of low birth weight with diabetes is true, thus the need to study further on the matter is a must to prevent the illness from developing.

The theory of this kind of incident based on researchers can only fall under two instances, the thrifty phenotype hypothesis and the fetal insulin hypothesis. In the thrifty phenotype hypothesis, a newborn adjusts naturally to the nutrients it receives. Once it senses any imbalance in its process, a newborn's system will immediately adjust to receiving equally or more nutrients to the body that can cause type 2 diabetes because of a slow metabolism. Like any other age group, slow metabolism can lead to diabetes because of the body's inability to absorb and distribute much needed sugar.

Fetal insulin hypothesis, on the other hand is when a newborn is detected to produce very low insulin that can also cause diabetes in the long run. Children who are born with very low birth weight have a higher risk of the lack of fetal insulin. Insulin is responsible in balancing the amount of sugar in the body as well as control the occurrence of diabetes.

Diabetes is known to affect the eyes as well as the kidneys if not prevented immediately. African American women are also at risk by at least 1.8% higher compared to other non Hispanic white females. Diabetes is very common to women and those who have experienced heart.

Most cases of diabetes are detected during the latter years. Some even have type 2 diabetes without even knowing about it. The symptoms of diabetes normally don't appear until it is at the late stage. It is very important to have your annual checkup to make sure of an early detection leading to an easier treatment. The death toll of diabetes is due to  other implications of the illness such as kidney problems and other internal organ problems.