Increasing rates of obesity and diabetes may be contributing to a steep rise in liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), among Latinos in the U.S., particularly in Texas. Overall U.S. HCC rates grew from 1.7 cases to 5 cases per 100,000 from 1980 to 2005, and reached 7.5 cases per 100,000 among Latinos, according to data presented at a recent American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conference by Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Dr. Ramirez and her colleagues also found that Latinos accounted for about 33% of HCC cases in Texas and 75% of cases in South Texas, while also documenting corresponding increases in the prevalence of obesity ...
If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, for example, you probably know that keeping cholesterol at a healthy level can help you lower your chances of a heart attack or stroke. But how much do you know about your treatment options, including what side effects medications may cause and how to determine the best option for you? If you don’t get the best possible information about all your treatment choices, you might not make an informed decision on which treatment is most appropriate for you. All of this couldn’t be truer for Hispanics who have to navigate a complex healthcare system in another language. This is where a new campaign, “Toma las riendas” (“Take the reins”), comes in. The Toma las riendas campaign, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare ...
Diabetes affects nearly 26 million people in the U.S. Another 79 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes. Diabetics are at risk for diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of vision loss. While all people with diabetes can develop diabetic eye disease, Latinos, African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and older adults are at higher risk of losing vision or going blind from it. “The longer a person has diabetes the greater is his or her risk of developing diabetic eye disease,” said Dr. Suber Huang, chair of the Diabetic Eye Disease Subcommittee for the National Eye Institute’s (NEI) National Eye Health Education Program. “If you have diabetes, be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic eye disease often has no ...
Mexicans who migrate to the U.S. often begin eating a typical “American diet,” which may put their health at risk, a new study shows, Futurity reports. Study researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found immigrants improved their diets in some aspects—more fruits and vegetables, low-fat meat and fish, high-fiber bread, and low-fat milk than they had in Mexico—but mostly in the U.S. they ate more saturated fat, sugar, salty snacks, pizza, and french fries. This could spell higher rates of obesity, diabetes and related diseases for Mexican immigrants. More from Futurity:
Traditionally, overall mortality rates and death rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer are lower among Hispanic immigrants than non-Hispanic whites, but diet changes are ...
Watch a new video from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that explains the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic and showcases several community initiatives taking place to prevent and reduce obesity. Obesity is a national epidemic and a major contributor to some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. Latinos have some of the highest rates of overweight and obesity, and suffer a larger burden of diabetes. The CDC urges communitywide changes that strongly support healthy eating and active ...
El Paso, Texas, which is considered among the nation's least healthy cities, struggles with high rates of obesity and diabetes, Borderzine reports. More than 85,000 residents in El Paso, which is 82% Hispanic, have diabetes. That's why the El Paso Diabetes Association aims to eliminate diabetes and its complications through empowerment, promotion, detection and access. The agency organizes community events to get people more involved with the organization, raise awareness, promote their services and help people control the disease. For example, a Diabetes Walk/Run helps raise money for the organization every year. To learn more, watch this ...
Hispanics, who make up 60 percent of Bexar County’s population and almost 40 percent of Texas’, face special cancer risks.
Minimizing those risks is the subject of a free public lecture to be held at 6 p.m. CST Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011, on the fourth floor of the Grossman Building at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7979 Wurzbach Road.
"In the Hispanic population, we tend to put off prevention because we don't think it's going to happen to us," said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center. "And cancer's one of those things we don't like to talk about."
For instance, Dr. Ramirez said, about 40 percent of Hispanic women do not have yearly ...
Diana Romano, a registered and licensed dietitian and the new family and consumer educator at the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, believes Latinos in Oklahoma need more information on healthy diets due to high rates of diabetes and disease, the Oklahoman reports. Romano will be responsible for nutrition, horticulture and other arenas for local families. "Mainly, my focus is going to be the Latino community,” Romano said. “We need a lot of information, a lot of education on basic nutrition, how to prevent diabetes, about heart-healthy diets.” Before her new job, Romano coordinated a "Farm-to-You" program and taught nutrition classes at the Latino Community Development Agency. She also plans to work with Latinos and others in the areas of aging, ...
Foreign-born Latinos in New Jersey are healthier, have fewer vices and live longer than Hispanics born in the U.S., mirroring a national trend, according to a new report, Fox News Latino reports. According to the news report:
The report, released by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, found that foreign-born residents of New Jersey are primarily healthier than native-born residents, and also have healthier lifestyles.
About 20 percent of New Jersey residents are foreign immigrants, and, of those 20 percent, approximately 36 percent are Hispanic, the report says.
The large proportion of foreign-born Latino residents were found to have lower mortality rates than U.S.-born Hispanics for most leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, ...
