Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Diabetes

For the total populations, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 1995. It is the fifth leading cause of death in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders between the ages of 45 and 64. Although data on the number of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who have diabetes are limited, studies show that type 2 diabetes is a growing problem among some groups within this population. For example, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is 2 to 3 times higher among Japanese Americans living in Seattle compared with non-Latino whites. The prevalence is 2.5 times higher among Native Hawaiians compared to white residents of Hawaii.

While there are a small number of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans with type 1 diabetes, most Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with diabetes have type 2. This is due to the food choices of some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which have changed due to their migration to the United States and to modern times. Instead of their traditional plant- and fish-based diets, they are choosing foods with more animal protein, animal fats, and processed carbohydrates. (In addition, they have become less physically active. As a result, their chances of developing diabetes have increased.)

Excerpted and adapted from Diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives Fact Sheet, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.