/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>17673138
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/diabetes-asian-americans.html

>Nationwide, as many as 1 in 4 people who have diabetes don’t know they have it. But for Asian Americans, that number is higher—around 2 in 5. Why aren’t more getting diagnosed?

>Body weight plays a big part. Being overweight is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, but most Asian Americans aren’t overweight and so may not seem to be at risk (their doctors may not think they are either!).

>But people of Asian descent have less muscle and more fat than other groups and often develop diabetes at a younger age and lower body weight. That extra body fat tends to be in the belly (visceral fat). This isn’t the “inch you can pinch,” the fat stored just under the skin. Visceral fat is out of sight, wrapped around organs deep in the body. You can’t tell how much visceral fat someone has by just looking at them.

>Visceral fat is also sometimes known as “active” fat because it drives certain processes in the body that can increase the risk for heart disease, stroke, and other serious health conditions. Everybody has some visceral fat, but having too much is a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.