Changes in lifestyle can benefit Latino diabetics

According to the American Diabetes Associatio, as many as 21 million people have diabetes and over 50 million have pre-diabetes in America. Mexican Americans, Latino people, are thought to be 1.7 times as likely to suffer from the disease as non-Hispanic whites. Lifestyle changes at or before the pre-diabetes stage could avert a Latino diabetes healthcare disaster.
Pre-diabetes is often signified by weight gain, but having pre-diabetes (also known as metabolic syndrome and syndrome X) does not automatically mean that the patient will develop diabetes. The American Diabetes Association is actively fighting the diabetes epidemic amongst the Latino population, largely by educating people to change their lifestyle.
The principal issue, the director for program initiatives at the ADA, Suzanne Miller, says, keeping physically active, eating high fibre diets, minimizing carbohydrates and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, cooking habits are particularly important, and changing food preparation techniques can be difficult. The Latino Initiatives Campaign is known as Por tu Familia, and is welcomed by diabetics globally.