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Aborigines warned of risk of diabetes

Health notes: * At present, 8 percent of Aborigines are diabetic * Dr. Ko Ying-ching warned that the number of cases could climb to 10 percent of the Aboriginal population within a few years * Ko said both genetics and lifestyles are factors that place Aborigines at risk * Pesticide poisoning is another major cause of death among Aborigines in Taiwan * Fatalities from accidental pesticide poisonings is seven times higher for Aborigines than for non-Aborigines * Average life expectancy for a member of an Aboriginal tribe in Taiwan is 10 years less than their compatriots

Aboriginal people are increasingly threatened by diabetes because of their genetic makeup and changing lifestyles, particularly eating habits, a medical specialist said yesterday.

Dr. Ko Ying-ching (葛應欽), a scientist with the National Health Research Institute and an honorary chairman of the Taiwan Aboriginal Medical Society, said that the prevalence of diabetes among Aboriginal people has reached an alarming 8 percent, higher than the average for non-Aboriginal citizens.

If preventive measures are not taken in time, the Aborigines' average diabetes prevalence rate will shoot up to around 10 percent within a few years, Ko said.

Genes are believed to play a role in high diabetes rates among native peoples, Ko said.

He said that the Pima tribe in the US is well known for its people's high diabetes rate -- a high as one-third of the people and the Naura natives in the South Pacific have an even higher percentage of 40.6 percent.

As Taiwan's Aboriginal people can be considered as remote relatives of the Naura natives -- both of the two peoples are believed to be originated from the identical Austronesian-language ancestors -- Naura natives' diabetes history can be a mirror for their counterparts in Taiwan, Ko said.

Meanwhile, Ko warned that fatalities among Aboriginal people from mistakenly drinking pesticide is seven times higher than among non-Aboriginals.

Ko attributed the high fatality rate to the fact that the pesticide used by Aboriginal farmers comes in a container that looks very similar to a tonic liquor that the Aborigines drink to boost their energy.

Alcohol abuse and mental illness are two of the more serious problems facing Aborigines in this country.

The average life expectancy of Aborigines and residents of outlying islands is 10 years less than that of the rest of the nation.

Mortality among Aborigines and residents of outlying island is three to five times that of the rest of the country, with the main causes of death listed as acci-dents, chronic liver disease, gout and alcoholism.

Taiwan's indigenous people as a whole are believed to belong to the Austronesian-language group.
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