Friday May 11

Western Diet Ups Diabetes Risk in Pima Indians

By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The striking rate of type 2 diabetes among the Pima Indians of Arizona may have much to do with their adoption of the typical US diet--heavy in simple carbohydrates and low in fiber and vegetable protein, a report suggests.

In a study of lifestyle habits among the Pimas, researchers found that those who consumed such an ``Anglo'' diet were nearly three times as likely to develop diabetes over about 6 years, compared with those who followed a ``traditional'' diet rich in grains, squash, melons and legumes. Those who consumed elements of both diets were also at increased risk.

``This study suggests that the adoption of an Anglo diet may increase the risk of developing diabetes in Pima Indians,'' Dr. Desmond E. Williams from the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Phoenix, Arizona, and colleagues report in the May issue of Diabetes Care.

In an interview with Reuters Health, Williams explained that the Pima Indians of Arizona have undergone a rapid transition from a traditional lifestyle that included a healthy diet and exercise through work in fields, to a ``Westernized'' lifestyle marked by high-fat foods and less physical activity. As a result, rates of obesity and chronic diseases characteristic of Western populations have soared. In fact, the Pima Indians have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the world.

But the Pimas are only one of myriad groups whose health is being affected by today's lifestyles, according to Williams.

``If effort is directed to maintaining their traditional lifestyle, including diet, they may be able to minimize the epidemic of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases associated with Westernization,'' he said.

The study of 575 Pima Indians aged 18 to 74 years showed that each year, 63 cases of diabetes developed per 1,000 people consuming an Anglo diet. In contrast, the yearly diabetes rate among those on a traditional diet was just 23 per 1,000 people. For those on a mixed diet, the rate was 35 cases per 1,000 people.

Overall, diabetes was diagnosed in 22% of the study participants, predominately women.

Williams explained that foods in the traditional Pima diet do not cause blood sugar to surge in the way many foods included in the Anglo diet do. Additionally, a healthier diet is also associated with a healthier overall lifestyle that includes exercise, he noted.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body loses its sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or glucose. When insulin sensitivity wanes, glucose rises to levels that can, over time, increase a person's risk of developing heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage and blindness.

While the study suggests a link between a Western diet and diabetes, it does not indicate a cause-and-effect relationship. Nonetheless, the findings support earlier research on dietary fat and diabetes. One study, for instance, found that a group of Australian Aborigines with type 2 diabetes improved their insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance when they followed a traditional diet and a more active lifestyle for 7 weeks.

Similarly, in another study, diabetic Pima Indians and whites who consumed a traditional Indian diet for just 2 weeks improved their glucose tolerance and lowered their cholesterol.

SOURCE: Diabetes Care 2001;24:811-816.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/200..._indians_1.html