Even more striking, Latinos often become sick when they emigrate to the U.S. and adopt local lifestyles.

“It's not a one size fits all issue,” said Dr. Steven Rothschild, an associate professor in the departments of Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine at Rush University Medical Center. He does research on diabetes in the Latino communities of Chicago. “Seeing a face that looks like them, and having a picture of the food they eat makes it more effective,” Rothschild said of the outreach programs.

“Our mission is to prevent diabetes, delay complications, and educate our youth about eating habits,” said Martin Nava, associate director of the Latino Initiative at the association in Chicago, who cites the relationship between obesity and diabetes. “Every morning I see a lot of the kids walking to school with a bag of chips and a high sugar juice drink like Sunny Delight. That’s their breakfast.”

Patients with advanced diabetes who get insulin treatment too late think the insulin causes the complications, but “it’s not the insulin, it’s the Burger King,” said Rothschild.

The rate of diabetes in Chicago's Humboldt Park Puerto Rican community is about 21 percent – three times higher than the U.S. rate – and the diabetes mortality rate for the Puerto Ricans in Humboldt Park is 68 per 100,000 people compared to 25 per 100,000 for the U.S. and 31 per 100,000 for Chicago, according to a 2006 report in the Journal of Community Health.

“One reason is the lack of physical activity," Nava said. "Especially in winter, when we go straight from the building to our car and there is very little walking. The Internet has decreased activity among youth too. And then there’s just the over-availability of food, portion sizes and unhealthy snacks.”

Rothschild gives the same explanation.

Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar. Dr. Rothschild explained that type 1 or juvenile diabetes is a failure of the pancreas – the organ is unable to produce insulin, the hormone that helps the body absorb sugar, which the body uses as energy.  Type 2 is more commonly associated with adults. It occurs when the body is still producing insulin but is ineffective in controlling blood sugar levels. Eighty five percent of diabetics in the U.S. suffer from type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes needs to be treated with insulin, and type 2 diabetes can be treated with insulin or other medications depending on the person's condition.

When glucose builds up in the blood, complications such as heart disease and stroke, blindness, kidney disease, gum disease and nervous system disease sometimes leading to lower limb amputations may occur. These complications can be prevented by watching your ABCs: A1C to measure average blood glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol, according to the CDC.

Although diabetes rates for Latin Americans are higher than average, Hispanics are at a lower risk of other diseases, according to CDC data. In 2004, Hispanic men were 13 percent less likely to have prostate cancer and 14 percent less likely to die from a stroke as non-Hispanic white men, and Hispanic women were 33 percent less likely to have breast cancer and 30 percent less likely to die from a stroke than non-Hispanic white women.

Hispanic health concerns stem from cultural and language barriers, lack of access to preventive care and lack of health insurance. According to Nava, there are also socio-economic barriers because unhealthy food is more accessible and cheaper. “It’s hard to combat the ‘finish your plate’ mentality,” he said.

Raymond Perez, a Puerto Rican immigrant and doorman at the Streeter condominium complex in Chicago, agrees. “The older generations have a harder time changing their eating habits,” he said. His family came to the U.S. 40 years ago, and his grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes shortly after.

"We stress portion sizes and portion control,” said Nava. “Eating four to five smaller meals is better than a few bigger meals, and baking, grilling and broiling is better than frying.”

He admits it is hard to change generations worth of family recipes. Food is part of the Latin culture, and it may be unrealistic to completely eliminate some of the unhealthy dishes.

“If you can’t make it healthier, then eat a lot less and not on a regular basis. Try to take a walk after heavy meals,” said Nava.

According to Betsy Rodríguez, public health adviser for the National Diabetes Education Program’s Hispanic/Latino Work Group, losing five to seven percent of one’s total weight can prevent or delay diabetes in overweight and obese individuals.

“I still eat my arroz con habichuelas, but I just don’t eat it every day,” said Perez. “I know I have a big risk of diabetes so I just watch myself more. I try to keep active and limit my sweets.”

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ Diabetes Prevention Program found people at high risk for diabetes who made lifestyle changes reduced the development of diabetes by 58 percent over 3 years. The reduction was even greater, 71 percent, among adults aged 60 years or older. Interventions to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in individuals are feasible and cost-effective.