Genes, behavior and environment are three reasons why diabetes is so common among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Contributing factors “may include a genetic predisposition toward insulin resistance, exposure of fetuses to hyperglycemia during pregnancy, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and the effects of living in environments that are stress-producing, from both a social and physical standpoint,” the National Institutes for Health reports.
Some 180,866 people in New York City identify as "American Indian or Alaska Native" alone or in combination with other races, according to the 2020 census. That’s about 2 percent of the city's population.
Toll on health
The prevalence of diabetes in indigenous communities is striking, causing many deaths and hurting the quality of life, the NIH said.
• In 2023, American Indian/Alaska Native adults were 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes…
• “In 2021, non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives were 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes…
• ”In 2020, American Indians/ Alaska Natives were more than two times as likely to be diagnosed with end stage renal disease due to diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.”
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