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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Heart disease is the leading cause of death for
3both men and women; according to the Centers for Disease
4Control and Prevention, one in every four deaths each year is
5due to heart disease; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Risk factors for heart disease include diabetes,
7high blood pressure, excess body fat, high LDL cholesterol, and
8smoking; and
 
9    WHEREAS, According to National Vital Statistics Data,
10South Asian American communities in the United States have four
11times the risk of heart disease than the general population and
12a much greater chance of having a heart attack before age 50;
13and
 
14    WHEREAS, In addition, diabetes is one of the most serious
15driving forces for heart disease; South Asian Americans in the
16United States have among the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes
17in the nation; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians
19Living in America (MASALA) multi-ethnic study showed a 26
20percent prevalence of diabetes among South Asian Americans,
21compared to six percent among Caucasians, 18 percent among

 

 

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1African Americans, 17 percent among Latinos, and 13 percent
2among Chinese -Americans; and
 
3    WHEREAS, In spite of a diet consisting of lentils,
4vegetables, grains, and spices, the suboptimal nutritional
5elements of refined carbohydrates, refined fats, salt, and
6sugar negate any nutritional advantage gained through a
7traditional South Asian diet; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Early intervention and treatment through
9awareness campaigns, nutritional education, and instruction on
10physical activity can greatly reduce the burden of diabetes,
11the risk of heart disease, decreased quality of life, and
12untimely death; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Successful efforts to prevent and combat heart
14disease in the South Asian American population of the United
15States can serve as a model for the general population;
16therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in an effort to reduce
19the high risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke
20for the South Asian American community in our State, we declare
21May 31, 2019 as South Asian American Health Awareness Day.