Page 14 - Desk of the Imam

Desk of the Imam Magazine April 2018

Health & Fitness Facts About Islam

Islam is a complete way of life that governs
Why is Diabetes an all facets of life: moral, spiritual, social,
political, economic, intellectual, health, etc.
Epidemic in the African
American Community?

Have you ever heard in the Black culture
By Ramatu Kallon someone say to another "I'm going home to grease?"
or "Mama can sure burn." Do they mean that
The facts are clear: The diabetes epidemic literally? Is there a lot of grease in soul food? Do
sweeping the U.S. is hitting the African American African Americans like their food well done or
community particularly hard, according to doctors." almost burnt? Do greens and beans require pork to
Diabetes is defined as, "A disease that affects the satisfy as soul food? Is this a legacy from slavery that
body's ability to produce or respond to insulin, a remains with us 135 years later?" These rhetorical
hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to questions are solutions to why diabetes is most
enter the cells of the body and be used for energy." prevalent in the African Americans community.

There are two types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes According to the latest health stats, "Fifty percent
and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 of African American
diabetes, which usually begins women suffer from obesity.
during childhood or African American adults
adolescence, "Is a condition have substantially higher
characterized by high blood rates of obesity than white
glucose levels caused by total Americans.
lack of insulin. This occurs
when the body's immune “Overweight” is a major
system attacks the insulin risk factor for diabetes 2 in
producing beta cells in the the African American
pancreas and destroys them.." community. Excess amounts
Type 2 Diabetes, most common form of the disease, of fats and sugars are killing the African Community.
"Usually occurring in middle age adults after the age In the bestseller “Satan", by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu,
of forty-five, is a condition characterized by high she argues that "Diabetes is the third leading killer
blood glucose levels caused by either lack of insulin after heart disease and cancer among African
or the body's inability to use insulin efficiently." Americans." She goes on to say that, "Historically
National health surveys over the past 35 years show black people have played diabetes off and commonly
that the number of African American's that have been referred to this deadly disease by saying Mama has a
diagnosed with diabetes is drastically increasing. In sugar problem."
fact, it has been reported, "Out of twenty-three
million Americans with diabetes, sixteen million are In order for the expansion of diabetes to lessen in
African Americans." the black community, people have to be comfortable
enough to name the disease and
There are clearly many implications on why
diabetes is so rampant in the African American realize that "if mama has a sugar problem," then
community. Let’s look at aspects of the "African mama needs to stop eating five pounds of sugar!
those aspects have anything to do with the reasons Many African Americans tend characterize diabetes
why diabetes is higher in the African American as being a "sugar disease", but there are so many
community more so than others. American Culture" other factors besides sugar, to take into account when
in order to determine whether talking about diabetes. Continue on pg. 16

Masjid Al-Hamdulillah | Desk of the Imam 14