Poverty, Stress & Diabetes among Native Americans

As Dr. Donald Warne explains, there is a direct biochemical connection between living in poverty and blood sugar levels. The stress of being poor and of having family members die young creates a complicated web of cultural values and beliefs that make controlling diabetes more difficult. Add to that the lack of availability of healthy food and it's no wonder diabetes rates are high.

This video is a Web-exclusive supplement to "Bad Sugar," Episode 4 of "UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" This ground-breaking documentary series looks at how the social, economic and physical environments in which we are born, live, and work profoundly affect our longevity and health. The series broadcast nationally on PBS in spring 2008, and can be bought on DVD from California Newsreel, www.newsreel.org

Visit www.unnaturalcauses.org to learn more.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• diabetes
• poverty
• Native
• American
• Indian
• culture
• disparity
• inequity
• income
• power

[WhiteStarWoman]

Kudos to the creator of this video! Well spoken, poignant, beatifully photographed and very educational. Maybe if enough people could see these things something could change like ... how about the government honoring just one of their treaties made with the native americans? Is that too much to ask?, that our government have just the smallest amount of honor?

[Dealz1988]

They deserve better. Born into Poverty i thought I was looking at a third world country when I saw this.

[pineapple1969]

Poor people don't get proper nutrition because cheap food is usually the highly processed food with no nutritional value. Also, like the dr. stated this community suffers from a high rate of alcohol and drug addiction.

[lostangel912]

We are watching almost the entire series in my health psychology class at the University of Toronto. Very informative.

[TEB1952]

I think you got it right when you said American kids. We are many of varied ethnic origins - usually mixed. And I don't want to dwell on the past that none of us had any control over. Lets force the gov. to do the right thing for all of us. Lets live united as equals.

[TEB1952]

Yes sugar kills. And some peoples are genetically more succeptable to its effects - American Indians and Polynesians. Indians were set against each other long before this gov. They thought they were using stupid whites against their neighboring enemies. In those days "to the victor go the spoils" was the rule.

[walkingbear56]

There is always corruption where money is concerned, and the gifts of the government to set traditional against modernist indians has always been a sticking point. Assimilation or anihilation was the order of the day (and still is).

Refined sugar is worse than cocaine in its addictive ness..and most things are now pumped so full of it.. take look at many american kids on the whole to see the results of a generation brought up on coke and McDonalds. "The Shit Generation"

[TEB1952]

Refined sugar is the most incedious poisn on the planet. Alcohol is a close second. Again, a very complex issue. Poverty alone does not create stress The " American Indian" leaders have let their people down more than anyone.

[walkingbear56]

Because war makes money... helping poverty doesn't help the rich....

Ethnic cleansing....the "white" authoritarian system that runs the show would rather see the red man just dissappear...its reminder of guilt for them.

But they are still here.. strong peoples.... with values that we should all learn from.

Thank you Don Warne for your truth, and for posting this video...I hope the 1029 people that have viewed it learn.