Women's Health Project: African American Women and Diabetes

Women's Health Project: Fact Sheets

African American Women and Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
There are two major types of diabetes. Type 1 is a disease in which the body does not produce any insulin. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5 to 10 percent of diabetes. Type 2 is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body's inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin. It is the most common form of the disease, and affects about 16 million American people.
Type 2 has reached epidemic proportions among African American women. About 11.8% of African American women age 20 years or older have type 2 diabetes, and about 1 in 4 African American women over the age of 55 has diabetes. This is nearly twice the rate of white women.
African Americans also experience higher rates of at least three of diabetes' most serious complications: blindness, amputation, and kidney failure.
Research suggests that many African Americans carry a gene that predisposes them toward impaired glucose tolerance, one of the risk factors for diabetes.
African American women also have a higher rate of obesity, another risk factor for diabetes. African American women between the ages of 25 and 74 are more overweight compared to white women of the same age group.
Weight loss and exercise are very important in the management of diabetes and may decrease the need for medication.
Talk to your health care provider immediately if you are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms: frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability, blurry vision.

All information provided by the American Diabetes Association. Additional information is available from the National Women's Health Information Center and the Food and Drug Administration.

Posted Sept. 10, 2002