A Push to Improve Food Choices in Native American Communities Gets a Big Boost

For Native Americans, improving food choices is not about adding additional menu items at a buffet; it is about addressing some of the most dire health issues they face. According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, nearly four-fifths of Native American men and almost two-thirds of Native American women are overweight. More than 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are also overweight.

Diabetes is becoming so pervasive that we often overlook the consequences of excess blood glucose. Since much of a body's aging is caused by glycation—the bonding of a protein molecule with a sugar molecule—diabetics age faster and exhibit the signs and symptoms of aging earlier than others. According to the National Institutes of Health, “If you have diabetes, you are at least twice as likely as someone who does not have diabetes to have heart disease or a stroke.”

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