It’s no secret that diabetes is on the rise in the United States. Today, one in 10 adults has the disease, but within only 40 years that number could climb to 1 of every 3 adults. Aging is one contributing factor, as is the increase in obesity. But another contributor is race. Diabetes is disproportionately affecting several targets: certain racial and ethnic groups, and young people.
Here are a few numbers to mull over. Among Americans over 65, 27 percent have diabetes. Among those 20 and older, 11 percent have the disease. Men are slightly more likely than women to have diabetes (12 versus 11 percent). Among 20-and-older blacks, 19 percent have it, whereas only 10 percent of whites the same age have it. Rates vary among the Latino population, with Mexican Americans twice as likely as whites to have diabetes. More saddening, diabetes is likely to affect Latinos at a younger age than other populations. Asian Americans, American Indians, and Pacific Islander Americans also are at increased risk.
Experts speculate that these racial and ethnic groups have a genetic makeup—specifically a “thrifty gene”--that contributes to increased obesity and consequently, diabetes. The thrifty gene stores food and energy such that people can survive times of famine—but without famine it leads, rather, to overweight.
The explanation may offer some comfort, but not when one considers that diabetes is on the rise among younger people, with white Americans accounting for most cases among children. This suggests the disease is becoming less picky—and much more pervasive.
About the Author
Susan Welch is the executive director of Diversity Best Practices.
Follow Diversity Best Practices' coverage of health care issues on Twitter @DBPHealthcare.
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