America is harmful to asian's health...tess

[Stephen]

America is Harmful to Asians' Health
May 13, 2002 04:12:30 PM PST, HealthScout News
 
By Jennifer Thomas
HealthScoutNews Reporter
 
MONDAY, May 13 (HealthScoutNews) -- The longer Asian immigrants live in North America, the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure.
New research says you can blame the troubling trend on a number of bad health habits new to the immigrants when they arrive here, including fatty diets and a lack of exercise.

High blood pressure is an important measure of health because it's linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease and stroke, says study author Mark S. Kaplan, an associate professor of community health at Portland State University in Oregon.

According to his research, recent arrivals from Asian countries who settled in Canada had lower rates of hypertension, or high blood pressure, than the general population. However, as time went on, their rates of high blood pressure equaled or even exceeded that of the general population.

Asians living in Canada for three years or less had hypertension rates of below 3 percent, compared to about 10 percent of the population aged 20 and older. After five years, more than 7 percent of the immigrants had hypertension; after 10 or more years, 13 percent had the condition.

The study also found people who were "psychologically distressed" or depressed had twice the risk of hypertension.

Researchers used length of residence as a measure of "acculturation" -- or Westernization. They controlled for age, sex, education, smoking, drinking and access to health care.

"We often think of changes from one generation to the next, but what we're finding is that in a shorter period of time, we're seeing changes in their health status," Kaplan says. "Asian immigrants arrive in fairly good health relative to the general population, but within 10 years begin to show the negative health effects of exposure to North American culture."

The study will be published in the June issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Kallyane Sok, health program coordinator for the Philadelphia-based Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition, says the study results come as no surprise.

"We're seeing obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure in our communities like never before," Sok says. "People, especially the elderly, are dying from it."

The study included data from nearly 2,000 Asian immigrants who were part of the 1996-97 Canadian National Population Health Survey. Kaplan notes one weakness in the study is the high blood pressure was self-reported, rather than gleaned from actual blood pressure measurements.

So, what is it about American and Canadian culture that leads to high blood pressure? A diet of high fat and low fruits and vegetables is one factor, Kaplan says. Another is obesity, which is linked to hypertension.

Sok says many immigrants continue to eat traditional foods from their native country; she blames a sedentary lifestyle.

"Here, people drive a car everyday everywhere," she says. "Over there, they walk. Many people who came here are peasants or farmers. They used to get exercise running their farm and doing chores."

Rather than simply prescribe pills to lower blood pressure, Kaplan suggests education and social service programs should deal with the lifestyle changes immigrants face that contribute to potential health problems.

"I think the challenge for us as a society is how to reduce the harmful effects of the acculturation process, as well as preserve the positive effects," he says.

Research has shown assimilation can do some good. Immigrants, for example, tend to smoke less when they come to the United States, he says.

[Dave H]

... in response to America is harmful to asian's health...t..., posted by Stephen on May 20, 2002

Hi Tess,

It may be true for other Asian groups. But, I think that author Mark S. Kaplan is wrong when it comes to modern Filipinos!

I can't count the number of Filipinos with hypertension in my wife's barangay alone (5600+ population). We all know that Filipinos are known for their love of heavily salted, fried, and high fat foods. I think that potato chips and Chippy are probably considered  vegetables in the Philippines....they start as vegetables, are fried and heavily salted.  ( My wife said that she loved vegetables...I found out that meant fried...including lettuce. Since my wife arrived in the US, she has gradually improved her diet by using less salt and eating less fried foods. Smoking in the Philippines is common and adds to the problem. My wife's Dad, Uncle, 2 Aunts, numerous relatives and neighbors have all died and many others are disabled from strokes, brought on by hypertension. You would have thought that my wife was running a clinic, as neighbors regularly stopped by or had family members summon her to check their blood pressure.

I recently read in several sources that the over-consumption of rice has given many Filipinos hypertrophy (enlarged from overwork) of the pancreas. "Compared to the average not-overweight American (who, the studies showed, also had an enlarged pancreas), the Malays and Filipinos pancreas' were, in proportion to total body weight, 50% larger." Hypertrophy is often an early sign of degeneration of the organ. The pancreas is the organ that produces essential digestive enzymes, in addition to producing insulin. Amylase was found to be the primary enzyme being secreted in heavy rice eaters. Eventually this overwork could lead to problems.

The pancreas is commonly known for its role in diabetes. Simplified, Type I or insulin dependent diabetes (formerly called "juvenile diabetes") is when the pancreas produces virtually no insulin. Type II or non-insulin dependent diabetes (previously called "adult onset diabetes) occurs when the body can't effectively utilize the insulin that the pancreas produces. It represents over 90% of all diabetes cases. Type II usually occurs in overweight people and develops over many years, often around age 40 (Type I -rapid onset). Although, it has recently found to be epidemic among overweight American children as young as elementary school age.

Gallstones are also very common in the Philippines due to the high consumption of fried and fatty foods. I know many Filipinos who no longer have a gallbladder. My wife's younger sister recently had her gallbladder removed. While talking with her surgeon, I discovered that the operation is his "bread and butter."

On the other hand...my wife told me how her maternal grandfather is very poor and lives in a remote area in the Philippines. He eats many fruits and vegetables, mostly raw, rarely fries food and sometimes has little to eat. He is 87 and "retired" from climbing tall trees to harvest coconuts several years ago, because of arthritis in his knees.

Dave H.

[Stephen]

... in response to Sorry Mr. Kaplan..., posted by Dave H on May 20, 2002

But can you explain why obesity is a big problem in America?

Regards to Marife.

Tess

[Dave H]

... in response to maybe you're right about Filipino eating..., posted by Stephen on May 21, 2002

HI Tess,

Marife says Hi! When is Stephen going to post those photos? ;o)))

I think it's really very simple. Obesity has always been a "rich" persons' disease. I believe that obesity has become a BIG problem in America because of the sedentary lifestyle and plentiful cheap, fast, high fat junk food.

Video games, computers, Internet, TV, cell phones, automobiles... I used to walk several miles to school as a kid, often in the snow...climb trees, swim, run, jump, ride bikes, play hide and seek, ski, sled, build boats, tree forts, snow men and snow forts. In the winter, I didn't come inside until dark and my feet were frozen. Saturday mornings were about the only time anything good (cartoons) was on TV. When I wanted to talk to a friend, I walked or rode my bike to his house. I look at my old school yearbooks and see that only a couple of the kids were overweight. In my son's elementary school today, more than half of the kids are overweight. Their parents pick them up at the door and drive several blocks home. The bike racks are almost empty. A very obese man of about 35 in a Chevy Suburban, pulled up in the school bus pick up zone on Friday. A fat boy in a wheel chair and a bandage around his ankle was rolled up to the car by school employees. He was lifted into the truck. The obese father got out of the vehicle with his oxygen tank in one hand and a cigarette in the other, to put the wheel chair in the back. I was thankful that I wasn't that bad off. When I got home, I jumped on my exercise bike. For years I was in pretty good shape, rode my bicycle to work (14 miles), exercised and ran once I was there. After I got promoted into a cushy job, I spent most of my days in padded chairs. I took lots of work home and drove my fire department car everywhere. Meetings (with lots of food) postponed exercise until the afternoon...which ended up being postponed to the day after and the day after... We usually ate out at lunch and someone was always having a birthday. It didn't take long to pack on the pounds.

It's 11:00 PM on Tuesday...Wendy's, McDonalds, Burger King, Arbys, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, Miami Subs, etc. are all still open and their drive thru's will be open all night or until the wee hours of the morning. Who feels like cooking or making a salad after a busy day working? Just pull in, place the order, pay, and eat. What could be simpler at destroying our health? They also have home delivery, as does the supermarket (Online ordering). Everything is now larger. When I was a kid we drank water, milk, and juice. As a kid, I ate what my mom made. Now kids often eat just what they want. Some fast food restaurants have grouped together so that everyone can have a different meal. When we occasionally drank cokes years ago, they were in 8 oz glass bottles...now we get Super and Double Big Gulps...add a 1/4 or 1/3 Pound Big Bite hot dog and a bag of chips for a buck or two more. A "balanced" meal today often consists of protein in the form of a hamburger (high fat), carbohydrate from a "vegetable" - French fries (high fat), and several hundred addition calories in the form of a simple carbohydrate (sugar) - a soft drink..."Do you want to "Super Size" your order for 39 cents more?" Why not!

RICE??? What's that? The stuff with fried pork and vegetables in it, that we get at the Chinese restaurant? ;o)))

That's just my take on it.

Dave H.

[SteveB]

... in response to No problem...  )), posted by Dave H on May 21, 2002

DaveH,,,,Last year during summer school we took the kids to a water theme park as a end of the term treat.....wow....you should see the our obese kids in bathing suits,,,,not a pretty site...one of the reasons I quit teaching physical education in school was because it was a joke...if you worked the kids like they needed,,you had about half the parents on you butt,complaining I was working there babies too hard,,,I think we will see earlier health problems in the next generation of people,,we had a 38 year old teacher have a stroke last week,,,and yes she was obese,,,

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: No problem...  )), posted by SteveB on May 22, 2002

...NOT!!!

Hi Steve,

I agree! Not many people want to take responsibility for problems in their own lives. They want to sue the cigarette manufacturers for their illnesses, sue gun manufacturers, sue the bar they were drinking at before they crashed their cars, blame God, blame society, their parents, their doctors, their stock brokers, TV, hold teachers accountable for their children's failures while they spend 6 hours per day playing video games and watching TV... They should look in the mirror and hold that person responsible. I'm not saying that there are not sometimes contributing factors, but it is our responsibility to identify them and deal with the situation.

Dave H.

[Dave H]

... in response to No problem...  )), posted by Dave H on May 21, 2002

Today "sports" are something that you pay professionals to play for you. If one is more ambitious, they can be played in the form of video games. (

Dave H.

[Humabdos]

... in response to maybe you're right about Filipino eating..., posted by Stephen on May 21, 2002

Yep your right theres plenty of fat Kano's around the states. Huston Texas fat city USA (more fat people than anywhere else in the USA)
Last time I was in the Philippines I saw more fat people around than I have ever noticed before (maybe it was Davao)?
The malls are full of over weight Filipino's Just look in KFC, Mcdo's, Kenny Rogers ect... All that Kano food is killing them! They would be much healthy with good old dried fish and rice ;-)

Humabdos

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: maybe you're right about Filipino ea..., posted by Humabdos on May 21, 2002

Hey Hum,

Those Filipinos that can afford to also eat Kano food, are probably sicker and dying much younger. My wife told me that she had never eaten at Jollibees until 1999...when they built one in Butuan City. Later, when she worked in Manila, she tried McDonalds and other Kano food. Now that she is here...she is all Kano fooded out! She can't wait to eat Filipino food again. ;o))

Dave H.

[Jeff S]

... in response to America is harmful to asian's health...t..., posted by Stephen on May 20, 2002

Stay away from Stephen's cheeseburgers and cream brulet, and stick with sushi! We'll bring him around one of these days. )

-- Jeff S.

[Humabdos]

... in response to America is harmful to asian's health...t..., posted by Stephen on May 20, 2002

can't handle the freedom of choices the land of milk & honey has to offer    ;-)  What ever happend to self control?   Hum

[Stephen]

... in response to Some people, posted by Humabdos on May 20, 2002

.....is unamerican.

And it ain't much fun, either.  (LOL)

Stephen