Education programs focusing on traditional hunter-gatherer diets show promise in helping Northern Plains Indians with Type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels, according to a recent article on DLife.
Adult American Indians have the highest age-adjusted rates for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular ailments compared to any other ethnic group. The rates vary anywhere from 14% to 72%, which is a whopping 2.4 to 6 times more than the rate of the general population in the U.S.
Researchers report that culturally-sensitive educational programs incorporating the Medicine Wheel Model for Nutrition, a diet program based on Northern Plains Indians’ traditional consumption of macronutrients, seemed to be working.  This diet has specified contents of carbohydrate (45% to 50% of energy), protein (25% of energy), and low in fat (25% to 30% of energy). The program lasted for 6 months and random participants were chosen from the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
While the study produced encouraging results, researchers note that some American Indians have limited access to groceries stores that offer low fat products, whole grains and other healthful foods. There is concern that this diet program will not be sustained despite the desires of the tribal leaders to preserve it. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
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