[metmom]

Diet? Cultural? Genetic? Bush's fault? I don't know.

I've heard that many Indians and Mexican tribals groups are very suseptible to the bad effects of a western diet. Some groups are reported to have aduly onset diabetes rates of 40 % when they adopt a western diet as opposed to sticking to a traditional diet. It sounds like there is a major genetic component involved.

[A CA Guy]

The Mexicans out here cook all their food when they fry in lard rendered from pork and it gets worse from there.

I think they more eat a LOT of what was their Mexican diets.

In restaurants, they eat a lot.

[LongElegantLegs]

I'd be willing to bet it's 80% diet; My husband's family appear straight-up Mexican/Indian, and have the whole batch of health problems; adult-onset diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, etc etc. The food they eat is tasty but it's killing them. People in their circle don't live much past fifty, generally.

Mr. Legs has gone near vegetarian for me, and I like to think I can see improvements. :-)