As type II diabetes is not simply determined biologically or genetically, but is also triggered by life conditions, namely a person’s diet and exercise regime, diabetes doesn’t just have to be treated by insulin, but can also be prevented through certain measures. A person’s lifestyle is related to sociocultural and environmental factors, which are impacted by whether or not certain provisions are accessible to a person. Therefore, diabetes is not just an issue for scientific innovation but also an issue of (in)equalityYoung RJC. Postcolonial remains. New Lit Hist [Internet]. 2012 Dec [cited 2024 Nov 7];43(1):19–42. Available from www.researchgate.net.
When we look at North America, the epidemic of diabetes among Native Americans can be seen as a consequence of colonialismIbid.. With the arrival of Europeans in the late fifteenth century, indigenous societies were faced with new infectious diseases and intense warfare. Afterwards the natives who survived were dispossessed and displaced to reservations where they faced poverty and struggled to secure foodIbid.. There, food rationing programs were introduced by the new government, which led to a dramatic dietary change for the indigenous population that’s been linked to an increased risk of diabetes“Spam” meat tied to diabetes risk in Native Americans: study | Reuters [Internet]. [cited 2024 Nov 7]. Available from www.reuters.com. Indigenous people suddenly found themselves dependent on colonial institutions, their former lifestyles eroded, and diagnoses of diabetes among them have been rising ever since.
Not only has type II diabetes been disproportionately triggered among native Americans through the social and economic inequalities brought about by colonization, native Americans have also not gotten adequate medical attention while insulin was being distributedCheran K, Murthy C, Bornemann EA, Kamma HK, Alabbas M, Elashahab M, et al. The Growing Epidemic of Diabetes Among the Indigenous Population of Canada: A Systematic Review. Cureus [Internet]. 2023 Mar 15 [cited 2024 Nov 7];15(3). Available from pubmed. Their relocation to remote areas and their impoverishment meant health information and services, such as insulin, were less accessibleTHE PREVALENCE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES AMONG FIRST NATIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR PREVENTION - Zoeken [Internet]. [cited 2024 Nov 7]. Available from bing. Moreover, institutionalized racism translated into a fragmented and underfunded health care system in which care was usually not culturally appropriateIndigenous communities and diabetes - Diabetes Canada [Internet]. [cited 2024 Nov 7]. Available from diabetes.ca. Banting had claimed ‘Insulin does not belong to me. It belongs to the world.’ However, was Insulin truly made equally accessible for everyoneDas T, Rani PK, Sivaprasad S, Raman R. The blue circle and 100 years of insulin discovery. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2021 Nov 1;69(11):2920–4.?