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Diabetes Among Native Americans

Updated: May 25, 2021



Since World War II, diabetes has become one of the most common serious diseases among Native Americans. In contrast, prior to World War II, diabetes was almost nonexistent in these same communities. In fact, Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), and a host of other health issues are at epidemic levels on Native lands. But what has changed over the past 75 year to bring about such a devastating change?


This Cardiovascular/Obesity/Diabetes disease epidemic is driven by several factors - the most obvious being our poor diet. The historical U.S. policies of relocating Native Americans and attempting to assimilate them into Western culture have resulted in;

· Extreme poverty of many Native American tribes and their reliance on government food programs.

· Destruction of environmental resources that tribes depended on for sustenance, compelling many tribes to adopt a Western-style diet.

· High in glucose and simple carbohydrates, the Western diet is causing significant obesity and diabetes-related problems among Native Americans.


A Closer Look


It was not until after World War II that diabetes cases began to be reported by (Indian Health Service) IHS providers as a real health issue concern. By 2010, diabetes had jumped to number four on the list of health issues on native lands. American Indians and Alaska Natives now have the highest rates of diabetes among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. One staggering statistic; The Pima Indians of Arizona have the highest rates of diabetes in the world, with more than 50% having a diagnosis of type II diabetes.

Indian Health Service reports that American Indians (AI) and Alaska Natives (AN) have a higher incidence of long-term complications of diabetes and that these problems will develop earlier in life. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the number one cause of death, and American Indians and Alaska Natives with diabetes are 3x to 4x times more likely to develop CVD than those without diabetes. Is it any surprise that diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness, end-stage renal disease, and lower-extremity amputation among Native Americans? The costs associated with treating this dramatic rise in diabetic related disease is astronomical. Millions are now being spent annually to treat heart disease, kidney dialysis, and to perform lower extremity amputations and open-heart surgeries. And there’s no end in sight! Could the solution be as simply as fixing our diet?


The Wester Diet

Over the past two centuries, methods have been invented to bottle, can, pickle and preserve our food to give it a longer shelf life. During WWII there was a big push to preserve food for longer periods of time which was needed overseas for our troops. Canning and bottling operations sprung up and new methods were discovered that would allow food placed in cans to be shipped to our troops and kept stable for extended periods. These methods relied heavily on cooking ingredients at high temperatures and/or using preservatives to keep the food from spoiling. Food that would go bad in days or weeks, could now be kept stable for many months to feed our men and women in battle. Fast forward 75 years and walk through any grocery store. What we now find is that the majority of everything available to purchase has been preserved in some form or fashion... or genetically altered. Fast food restaurants have replaced wholesome homemade meals. Even the so-called “health foods” in our supermarkets are loaded with sugar, fat and preservatives to taste better and last longer. All of this “advancement” in food processing has taken a major toll on our health.


Enzymes & Healthy Eating


Do you or someone you know suffer from Type II Diabetes (High Blood Sugar), IBS, Bloating/Gas, Inflammation, High Cholesterol, Lipids, Heartburn, Sour Stomach, Gluten Intolerance, Lactose Intolerance, Shingles, Arthritis, Gall Bladder Removal, Gout, Migraines, Malnutrition, Immune System or Leaky Gut Issues? You’re not alone! All of these health problems have one thing in common – Enzymes (or the lack thereof).


It’s a fact that many illnesses and chronic health issues we experience today can be traced back to our digestive system and unhealthy eating habits. The Western diet is literally killing us and leading to a host of serious health issues along the way! It doesn’t help, that most of the food available for purchase in our grocery stores is either processed, packaged, or preserved? It’s deplete of almost all enzymes and nutrition. It very literally is DEAD food with zero nutritional value! But without enzymes, we all will die! So, unless we’re eating a consistent daily diet of raw unprocessed foods (like fresh fruits and vegetables), chances are our bodies are being robbed of the nutrients we need to function properly.


So why are enzymes so important anyway? Enzymes help speed up chemical reactions in the human body. They are essential for respiration, digesting food, and muscle and nerve function to name a few. Of all the natural health compounds available, enzymes may be the most valuable. Simply defined, an enzyme is a protein found in plants and animals that helps cause or speed up natural processes. For all living creatures, including humans, enzymes are as critical to life as air and water.


Nutrition 101


Enzymes are found naturally in fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, beans and nuts. Our bodies also produce enzymes to help with digestion, but this enzyme production slows down as we age. The most serious threat to the body's supply of digestive enzymes however, is eating only cooked and processed foods.

Cooking food over 118 degrees Fahrenheit kills all enzymes. Same thing happens when we add preservatives or pasteurize our food. So, unless we eat only raw unprocessed food, our bodies eventually will not be able to produce enough enzymes on their own to digest and extract the nutrients our body’s will need. It’s no wonder our Western-style diet is contributing to this dramatic rise in diabetes related illnesses. if our diet consists mainly of chips and soda, all that fat and sugar builds up in our system, our pancreas raises the white flag to surrender, and we eventually develop diabetes and/or a host of other food related issues that stem from poor diet and lack of enzymes.


More About Enzymes


Enzymes make life itself possible - they are the reason why we have energy, why we can reproduce, why we can think and why we can grow and heal.


Digestive enzymes produced by the body break down larger complex molecules into smaller molecules, such as glucose, so that the body can use them as fuel. Because of our Western diet, our bodies can’t produce enough enzymes to keep up with all the “Enzyme-less” foods we consume. Signs of digestive enzyme deficiency include gas, bloating, IBS, acid reflux and other digestive problems which may lead to headaches, chronic fatigue, stomachaches, diarrhea, constipation, yeast infections and a variety of nutritional deficiencies.

Remember - fresh, unprocessed foods contain enzymes and coenzymes the body requires to function properly. Unfortunately, most people don't eat enough fresh, whole foods to compensate for the enzyme-deficient foods they do eat. The ideal diet includes about 60 percent fresh, raw foods so the body can handle the other 40 percent of cooked and processed foods. If everyone followed a 60/40 ratio of raw to cooked food, degenerative diseases might disappear altogether. But is this diet sustainable for most people in our western culture? By supplying the body with digestive enzymes from food or digestive enzyme supplements, we can maintain healthy enzyme activity - and good digestive health - into old age. Again - is this 60/40 ratio realistic among our Native communities and North American populations at large? Probably not on a wide scale basis.


Enzyme Supplementation


Fortunately, digestive enzyme supplementation is now available and very beneficial if taken properly. Some enzyme supplements work a little, but most do not work at all. The question is “WHY” don’t all digestive enzymes work the same (and they do not).

While medical research shows that digestive enzyme supplementation can be helpful during the digestive process, all enzyme supplements are not created equal. Properly formulated digestive enzyme supplements will aid with digestion, boost immunity, help to fight illnesses and slow the effects of aging, just as a diet composed of 60 percent raw food does.


But are enzymes enough? Some enzymes cannot function unless they have a specific non-protein molecule attached to them. These are called cofactors. For instance, carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that helps maintain the pH of the body, cannot function unless it is attached to a zinc ion. So no matter how many enzymes you consume, unless they are formulated properly, they will do you little good.


NAFFA, LLC

This is where our friends at NAFFA, LLC and Health E80™ enter the scene. The Health E80™ enzyme story is unique for two reasons.

First: Their digestive enzyme blend took a research team 8 years to formulate and a patent was obtained based on its highly effective formulation. Exact mineral co-factoring was the key (or secret sauce) that made Health E80™ a true game changer! No other company can cofactor minerals with their enzymes. To do so would be in violation of the formulators patent. The cost to the formulator to acquire this patent was in the lofty 6 figures. So, you see, no other company has an enzyme product quite like Health E80™ due to these factors - Time, Cost, and Patent.


Second: NAFFA’s digestive enzyme formula has been proven effective through testing in the lab and with 6 pilot human studies. Additionally, an organization in the Netherlands that utilizes an exact mechanical replica of the human digestive system fully proved the efficacy of the Health E80™ formula. Through these studies, our friends at NAFFA, LLC are able to provide remarkable findings. Again, no other company will go to these extremes to show you how their product works - likely because of their lack of effectiveness, including time, costs, and co-factoring. NAFFA, LLC wants to give you a deeper dive into Health E80™ and how you can come to your own conclusions.

  • Helps Reduce & Stabilize Blood Sugar

  • Contains Potent Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients

  • Supports Healthy Digestion & Immune Function

  • Calms the Gut and Relieves IBS, Gout, Bloating, Gas, Acid Reflux and other Digestive Issues



To contact NAFFA, LLC directly, follow the link

Or call (888) NAFFA80 or (888-623-3280).


Contributing Articles:

3. NCBI










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