A Look Inside Native Americans High Rates of Obesity and...

Native Americans have the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Native Americans are 60% more likely to be obese and are over twice as likely to have diabetes than the general population. These numbers are even higher for Southwest Native Americans. But their diet is very similar to the rest of modern society. So why do Native Americans suffer these conditions at higher rates than the general population? The answer may be found in new research that is beginning to point to a genetic cause for these conditions. In a study by Peggy Halpern, Ph.D. for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, she found that historically Native Americans of the†¦show more content†¦We know the ancestors of all Native Americans came from Asia. We know this to be a fact because DNA analysis of Native Americans, including Native Americans of the southwestern United States, shows a direct link to people livin g in northeast Asia today. According to Jake Page, former editor of both Natural History and Smithsonian magazines: ...geneticists have found...DNA lineages present in native populations...which...are found only in Asians†¦. Linguistic and dentition analysis also demonstrate Native Americans descended from peoples living in Asia. Today, almost no one debates the premise that the ancestors of Native Americans came from Asia. There is also very little debate as to how these first Asians arrived in North America. Because so much of the worlds water was locked up in glaciers during the last ice age, sea level was lower than it is today. According to David Meltzer, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University and an internationally recognized authority on the first inhabitants of the New World: â€Å"†¦these lowered oceans exposed the shallow continental shelf beneath the Bering and Chukchi Seas. This shelf†¦connected Alaska and Siberia†¦and it trafficked†¦in plants, animals, and people. There is, however, much debate as to when the first Asian peoples migrated to North America. Modern research has revealed that during the heightShow MoreRelatedObesity in America2116 Words   |  9 PagesENG 101 SL1 26 June, 2006 Obesity in America Obesity in America is a continually growing problem and even worse our own children are sharing in this problem. A commentary in the Washington Times reports that sixty million Americans are obese. What really is the meaning of obese? Obese is having a body mass index of thirty percent or more. In recent years, the percentage of obese Americans has risen. 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