Silent sugar: The impacts on societies

Globally, refined sugar consumption has increased rapidly, leading to one of the world’s most common disease, diabetes. Diabetes causes significant health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Blacks communities in particular are disproportionately affected by diabetes as whole foods have been replaced by refined sugar foods in the diet. These communities should look to make small dietary changes to limit refined sugar intake and increase activity levels to halt the spread of this serious health problem.

Dr. Catherine L. Quinlan is a STEM Education professor at Howard University School of Education. She is PI of an NSF funded research grant to create culturally representative STEM curriculum using the narratives and lived experiences of Gullah Geechee African Americans. Dr. Quinlan believes that the current path of Blacks in America and elsewhere are closely tied to their historical, political, cultural, social, and linguistic past. This includes but is not limited to the impact of physiological and psychological adaptations and lives driven by the economic pipeline of a dominant culture.