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Latino diabetics learn healthy diet
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LOMA LINDA - Irma Vasquez is addicted to tamales.
"I love them for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said the 51-year-old Redlands resident.
The Mexican immigrant recently made the decision to cut back on her favorite food.
She did it for her health.
Vasquez is part of a small group of Latino diabetics who completed a free education course last week at Loma Linda University.
The course was developed by a university public health professor who is researching ways to reduce the high rate of diabetes in the Latino community.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2.5 million Latinos in the United States, or 9.5 percent of the Latino population age 20 and older, have been diagnosed with diabetes.
On average, Latinos are 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes than whites of a similar age, according to the center.
Latinos in San Bernardino and Riverside counties have limited access to health information in Spanish, said Zaida Cordero-MacIntyre, the assistant professor in the School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition, who is doing the research.
Cordero-MacIntyre said Latinos are frequently treated by doctors and nurses who aren't familiar with cultural differences that influence their diet and other lifestyle choices.
"Diabetes is a genetic predisposition," Cordero-MacIntyre said. "What compounds the problem is excessive weight. People who have diabetes in their family are like a loaded gun. In many cases, gaining weight will trigger the gun."
Low-income Latinos are often uninsured and can't afford to pay for oral medication or insulin, she said.
During the three-month program, participants underwent initial blood and body composition tests as well as follow-up tests at the end of the study.
In the interval, they attended four evening classes, taught by Cordero-MacIntyre with the assistance of graduate students and other health professionals.
The classes focused on using proper nutrition and exercise to manage blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes complications, such as kidney failure, blindness and limb amputations.
Participants in the program were recruited from Loma Linda University's SAC-Norton Clinic, a low-cost health service at the former Norton Air Force Base.
Cordero-MacIntyre said participants significantly lowered their blood sugar readings, cholesterol levels and body weight.
They also reported feeling better about themselves.
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"I feel perfect," said Vasquez, who is substituting tamales, enchiladas and tortillas for steamed foods and meals prepared with fresh vegetables.
She used to drink five 20-ounce bottles of soda per day. Now, she drinks green tea and lots of water.
Vasquez, who came to the United States in 1971 from Ciudad Juarez on the Texas border, now walks at least two miles a day.
Cordero-MacIntyre will incorporate the results into an ongoing study of area Latino diabetics she began in 2005. The study is funded by grants from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the National Institutes of Health.
Seventy-three participants have finished the program since 2005.
The initial results will be published in the July edition of Diabetes Educator.
"The results are verifying that patients are learning to control their blood sugar," Cordero-MacIntyre said.
She said there is a new element to the study that is looking at the prevalence of liver problems among Latino diabetics.
This week's 13 "graduates" received certificates and $25 checks for their participation.
Marino De Leon, an assistant professor of physiology in the Loma Linda School of Medicine, helps with the research.
"We need to find out what is working for these people in terms of prevention to see if we can use it at the national level," De Leon said.
Teresa Cruz, a 53-year-old Colton resident, said she reduced her intake of fried foods and now eats more salads and fresh vegetables. Instead of red meat, she has baked fish.
She also eats smaller portions.
"This program was so helpful," said Cruz, who came to the United States three decades ago from Guadalajara, Mexico. "I'm so glad there are people who are concerned about our health."
Stephen Wall
stephen.wall@inlandnewspapers,com
(909) 386-3916
Source: Inland Valley Daily BulletinAll rights reserved.