Study: Hawaiians Three Times More Likely To Have Diabetes Than Caucasians 

A new study from Kaiser Permanente indicates that members of racial minority groups are more likely to have diabetes or prediabetes than Caucasians. 

The results of the study, which were released on Thursday, state that the risk of diabetes or prediabetes among minority populations is higher than that of Caucasians at normal or below normal weight. 

More than 4.9 million people were included in the nationwide project. 

According to the study, normal-weight Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were three times more likely to have diabetes than normal-weight white people. 

“This study suggests that along with screening patients who are overweight and obese, minorities should probably be screened even if they have a normal BMI, particularly as they get older,” senior author Assiamira Ferrara said.

The authors speculate that there could be physiological differences among people of varying races relating to diabetes.