Is this difference likely to be biological? How could you test your hypothesis?
Anthropology - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Living standards, social class, food intake where they are buying their food and if they can afford to eat like white people can. A vast majority of blacks solely depend on food stamps and thus they need high starch foods because well it's cheaper. And eating a lot of fried foods like chicken wings is crazy.
2 :
By far the majority of slaves imported to the Americas came from West Africa. While it appears that African Americans have a higher rate of hypertension than do West Africans in general, some biological evidence exists to suggest genetics is at play. Diet plays some role & it is uncertain if West Africans would display the same amount of hypertension as Americans, given the same diet. The methods of testing this would be to test West Africans living on a typical African diet & those living on a Western Diet. Some suspect that only those living on a high salt diet & having a general propensity toward hypertension survived the Atlantic crossing. One would be required to have several control groups: 1) West Africans on an African diet. 2) West Africans on a Western diet. 3) African Americans on an African diet. 4) African Americans on a Western diet.
3 :
A large portion of the standard American diet (SAD) includes excess animal protein in the form of meat, eggs, and dairy. Over 75% of African Americans and Hispanics have some form of allergy or intolerance to dairy, however, milk and dairy continue to be recommended through industry influenced media and government agencies. Diet is the #1 contributing factor when it comes to heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, along with other diseases of affluence such as diabetes, cancers, and osteoporosis. The SAD with excess animal proteins and unhealthy processed ingredients, additives, colorings, preservatives, sugar, fat, and salt have been shown to be correlated with high blood pressure and coronary disease. This is documented through research led by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Neal Barnard, and many others. The scientific research showing this relationship start in the late 1800's. These diseases of affluence are primarily lifestyle related and have a weaker but statistically significant genetic basis. To determine whether the difference in populations is biological (genetic), you would need to control other variables that have an influence on the rates of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. These include: + Sleep. + Exercise. + Smoking. + SAD versus vegetarian (animal protein consumption). + Alcohol consumption. + Drug (legal and illegal) consumption. There is clearly a genetic predisposition toward these diseases, however, the lifestyle factors above represent a greater threat to a person's health than genetic predisposition (contrary to the consensus reality promoted by industry influenced institutions). You need to define your population. A good model for this is "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus from Cornell. His study was of a heterogeneous populations from rural China. If you are able to establish a random sample of people, say in the more homogeneous US in your local region, you might be able to take a random sample of say 100 blacks and 100 whites. Before you start, you must state your hypothesis such as: Null Hypothesis: There is no difference in 'diseases of affluence' between blacks and whites when lifestyles are similar. Research Hypothesis: Blacks experience more 'diseases of affluence' then whites when lifestyles are similar. You would need to segment the population in such a way that comparison between each group has similar lifestyles. A vegetarian black population should be compared to a vegetarian white population with similar lifestyle. A SAD black population should be compared to a white SAD population with similar lifestyles. Your definition of terms and means to classify subjects should be determined ahead of time. Also, your conclusions are probably valid for the local population only. You might find that the differences are due to lifestyle differences, such as a greater percentage of whites who are 100% vegetarian. Your research should account for this possibility. Note that you might find that genetics account for a small, but statistically significant difference, like 3%, where as a lifestyle difference accounts for more like 60% of the difference. Drugs that are only mildly effective (3-5%) can be statistically significant and thereby approved by the FDA in America. Doctors should be prescribing lifestyle changes rather than drug treatment plans. It's more common in America for your physician to get out the prescription plan if you have high blood pressure. My point is, so what if there is a genetic difference. A lifestyle change swamps any small effect of genetics. Sadly, in America, drug researchers for drug companies tend to ignore the comparison to lifestyle changes so as to promote a drug that can earn a company billions of dollars annually. Sadly, the FDA and other agencies are asleep at the wheel.
4 :
African Americans are descended from groups that lived inland and had evolved to retain sodium, since they had little or no access to seafood as a source of salt. Living in the US on the modern high salt diet, they now have this protective sodium retention mechanism working against them. They would probably have to try to avoid almost all salt in order to live as their ancestors did
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