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Diabetes Among African Americans

Diabetes has been affecting the African American community in the United States for a long time. Diabetes is a disease that occurs in people by altering the body’s metabolic process in producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas which regulates the amount of sugar in our blood stream, and in turn becomes energy. There are two types of diabetes: type 1diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1diabetes, which usually begins during childhood or adolescence, is a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by lack of insulin (American Diabetes Association). This occurs when the body's immune system attacks the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. Type 2 diabetes which is the most common form of the disease, usually occurs in middle aged adults after the age of forty-five (American Diabetes Association). It’s a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by either lack of insulin or the body's inability to use insulin efficiently. Forty percent of African American boys and forty nine percent of girls will develop diabetes during their lifetimes and therefore face the possibility of severe diabetes-related complications and a life span that is reduced by 4 to 23 years (Institute for Alternative Futures). In 2010, there were 5,547,700 African Americans in the United States with diabetes. African Americans have at least twice the risk of amputations, renal failure, and death due to their diabetes compared to non-Hispanic white Americans (ndep.gov). With that being said I have several questions that need answers. Why is this disease so prominent in the African American Community? Can this disease be passed on from generation to generation? And what can I do to lower my chances of getting this disease.
A family history of diabetes is only one of the risk

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