What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which the body's blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, is too high because the body is unable to utilize it properly. Glucose is the body’s primary source of energy, coming from the food we eat and from natural production within the body. For glucose to enter cells and be converted into energy, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin, which functions as the transporter that allows glucose to move into the cells. With diabetes, the body makes insufficient insulin or fails to use it properly, resulting in excess glucose staying in the blood. There are several types of diabetes, including gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy and is usually temporary, and prediabetes, a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet in the diabetic range.
Type 1
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The body’s immune system accidentally attacks the pancreas.
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The pancreas stops making insulin.
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People with Type 1 must take insulin every day to survive.
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This type is not caused by lifestyle or weight.
Type 2
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The body still makes insulin, but it does not use it well.
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Over time, the pancreas may stop producing enough insulin.
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Type 2 is linked to genetic factors, aging, and lifestyle influences such as physical activity and diet.
Type 1 Diabetes
Increased Urination
Thirst
Type 1 Diabetes
Weight Loss
Type 2 Diabetes
Pain or Tingling in the Hands
Chest Pain
Sexual Problems
Vision Loss
Risk Factors for Diabetes
Type 1
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Having a parent or sibling with Type 1 diabetes increases risk.
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Certain genes make a person more likely to develop Type 1 diabetes.
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​Viral infections may trigger an autoimmune attack in genetically susceptible people.
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More common in white populations compared to some other racial groups.
Type 2
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Obesity
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Physical inactivity
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Poor diet
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Having a first-degree family member with Type 2 diabetes increases risk.
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Genetics/ethnicity, including African Americans
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These disparities are linked not only to genetics but also to systemic factors such as access to healthy food, healthcare, and safe neighborhoods for exercise.
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Age
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Gestational diabetes
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Prediabetes
Diabetes and the Black Community
Diabetes is not solely a matter of biology, genetics, or personal lifestyle choices. Instead, the risk and prevalence of diabetes are deeply shaped by the social, economic, and environmental conditions that people live under. For Black Americans in particular, structural inequalities influence whether someone has reliable access to healthy food, safe places to exercise, stable housing, and quality medical care. Exploring these systemic forces shows why diabetes disproportionately impacts certain communities and highlights that addressing diabetes is not only about individual health, but also about social justice.
Biology
Environment
Health Outcomes
How Systemic Inequities Shape Diabetes in Black Communities
Diabetes in Black communities cannot be fully understood without recognizing the systemic inequities that shape health long before someone ever enters a doctor’s office. Decades of research show how racism becomes biology by exposing people to chronic stress, neighborhood disadvantage, and unequal access to basic resources. For example, Black Americans are about 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than white Americans, and nearly one in five Black adults has the disease. Many Black neighborhoods face higher costs or significant barriers when trying to access fundamental determinants of health, including safe housing, reliable transportation, clean air and water, and affordable, healthy food. Over time, these barriers increase allostatic load, which is the cumulative wear and tear on the body that builds up over time when a person is repeatedly exposed to chronic stress. This ends up disrupting how the body manages stress and ultimately shaping long-term health outcomes.
Income
Housing
Healthcare
Neighborhood
Diabetes
Pollution
Food Access
Stress
This chronic wear and tear interacts with socioeconomic barriers like lower average household income, fewer pathways into high-wage jobs, and higher rates of medical debt, all of which limit consistent access to nutritious foods, preventive care, and stable living conditions. These conditions directly shape health outcomes, which is why Black adults develop diabetes at nearly twice the rate of white adults and are more than three times as likely to experience severe complications such as kidney failure. These disparities stem from long histories of segregation and discriminatory policies and persist through modern inequalities in education, employment, healthcare access, and environmental safety. Taken together, these factors show how diabetes becomes one visible outcome of deeper social inequities, not just for African Americans, but for any minority.
See This in Action
How You Can Make a Change
Meaningful change begins with recognizing that diabetes disparities are not inevitable but are shaped by systems that can be challenged and improved. People can make a difference by supporting policies that expand access to healthy food, affordable healthcare, safe housing, and clean environments in underserved communities. Raising awareness, voting for leaders who prioritize health equity, and participating in local initiatives like community gardens or health outreach programs all contribute to reducing these gaps. Even individual actions, such as sharing reliable information or advocating for fair treatment in medical settings, help move us toward a society where everyone has the same opportunity to live a healthy life.
News in Black Health
Morris Brown, a primary care physician, listens to Sarah McCutcheon’s heartbeat in the exam room at his medical office in Kingstree, South Carolina, which sits in a region that suffers from health care provider shortages and high rates of chronic diseases.