1
04/03/2011
4:15 P.M.
Sunday
Why are more and more Americans becoming diabetics?

Around the summer of 2008 I leaned that my sister had been diagnosed with diabetes. This reminded me that my mother had been diagnosed with diabetes way back in 1984. In august of 2008, when I learned of my sister's condition, she was 41 years old. (My mother was 37 years old when she was diagnosed). The news of my sister being a diabetic left a lasting effect on me, so I begin to wonder. This is when I realised that I know quite a few African-Americans with diabetes. I wanted to know (exactly) what diabetes was, and what it is that is causing so many people to be diagnosed with this serious medical condition??? The first thing I did was looked up DIABETES in the 4th edition of the American heritage dictionary. This is what it said: Diabetes, any of several metabolic disorders marked by excessive discharge of urine and persistent thirst, esp. diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Mellitus: A chronic disease of pancreatic origin marked by insulin deficiency that results in excess sugar in the blood and urine. Next, I contacted my doctor and asked him a number of questions regarding diabetes, and insulin deficiency. He told me that diabetes is high among African-Americans, and that it is also hereditary. i.e. hereditary among African-Americans. He went on to tell me that most people with the condition had (and have) a combination of hypertension, high cholesterol, and tend to be considerably over weight. He told me that African-Americans eat fried foods regularly; a behaviour that leads to hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. The words that stayed in my mind was "HEREDITARY", "EATING FRIED FOODS". I then furthered my research. What I wanted to know is if diabetes is hereditary among African-Americans, then it must, also be hereditary among indigenous (West) Africans??? Plus, I wanted to know just what sort of diets are the indigenous (West) Africans consuming??? I reverted back to my African-history studies; what I discovered was that diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity is actually a rarity among indigenous (West) Africans. I also learned that (West) Africans, for the most part, feed chiefly on coconuts, yams, okra, watermelon, bananas, peanuts, rice, maize, and fish. This kind of dietary-practice would fall into the category of a vegetarian or (at least) a semi-vegetarian. I had began to think that if conditions such as hypertension, high-cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes is a rarity among (West) Africans, and seeing that we - African-Americans - are basically the same pheno and genetic types as (West) Africans, then how can diabetes -really- be "hereditary" amongst African-Americans??? I went back to my doctor and presented this question. He told me that he already knew that (West) Africans were not played with these such maladies; because of their diet and life style. He was referring directly to their vegetarian, dietary-habits; and their manual (exercise) life style. In my study of diabetes I learned that it is also high among Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and also White-Americans. In a nut-shell, diabetes has become an alarming problem for all Americans in general. In fact, I saw, on a news program, a few years ago that more and more American kids are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. And that our children are eating three times more sugar we ate when we were growing up. The program stated that our children are obese today, and is actually exercising less than we did twenty five years ago. They said that this is due to all of the video games, technology, etc... . The U.S. military - around this same time - put out a report saying that if obesity don't stop in the kids it will have an effect on the future of the military. Doctors are also saying that for the first time in U.S. history, our children's life expectancy is less than ours. All concerned Americans must be wondering what can we do to tackle down diabetes, obesity, and these same maladies in our children??? We NEED to - Immediately - change our dietary habits. We NEED to do this by eating more vegetarian foods, and also feeding our children more vegetarian foods. We NEED to add more fibre in our diets. We NEED to put down the soda pops, beer, and other alcoholic beverages, and drink more water. Lastly, we absolutely need to begin some sort of work out program. Even if it's nothing, but walking for 1hr. each day, we need to begin working out.

In closing this vital piece of information, I would also like to mention that many Americans go to the doctor about their high cholesterol levels. Doctors generally place people on cholesterol medications that will fix your cholesterol, but will mess up another part of your body in the process. This is known as "side effect". Synthetic drugs will fix one thing, but ruin another in the same process (if taken long term). Synthetic drugs (or "over the counter drugs") is a billion-dollar industry. It is unfortunate that doctors just don't tell Americans that eating a vegan diet (for a time at least) will lower your cholesterol; therefore, you won't NEED to take any drugs (that can possibly cause further harm). Your body -naturally- makes its own cholesterol. And when you become carnivorous in your dietary-habit, because you consume flesh (of an animal), this will elevate your cholesterol. Doctors are fully aware of this; the issue around the country is American don't want to give up eating meat. Well, here's a question America, which is more important, eating a delicious piece of meat (in your food) or maintaining good health throughout your life?

Note:
We MUST do something about diabetes, hypertension, colon-cancer, and other quiet killers.

CC: A. Akbar