https://www.publichealthpost.org/profiles/maria-rosario-araneta
“…Why are Asian Americans at such an increased risk for Type II diabetes? Araneta’s research team looked for the answer by using CT scans to measure visceral fat (fat deep in the abdomen). “Visceral fat is this active endocrine organ; it’s not just a place where you store excess calories,” Araneta explained. Endocrine organs release hormones such as leptin which influence appetite.
“Filipino women who have 26 inch waistlines have three times more visceral fat than obese African Americans,” Araneta told PHP.
The results of their work were shocking. “Filipino women who have 26 inch waistlines have three times more visceral fat than obese African Americans,” Araneta told PHP. These results, she continued, have been replicated among other Asian American groups. The more visceral fat an individual has, the higher their risk for developing Type II diabetes.
Of course, these early results have raised further questions. Araneta listed a few: “How do Asian Americans accumulate fat in that way? What kind of evolutionary advantage was there for accumulating fat that way? How do individuals get rid of it? How do clinicians diagnose it?”
So, what are the next steps to address these health differences? “The first thing is screening,” Araneta answered. Araneta and colleagues helped the American Diabetes Association update their screening recommendations for Asian Americans.
Araneta also emphasized the need to update current health promotion campaigns, saying, “The public health messages of ‘lose weight, lose weight, lose weight to reduce your risk of diabetes’ should be altered. Patients and providers should consider family history of diabetes, regardless of a patient’s size.”