Despite body type, Asian Americans have higher rates of type 2 diabetes than others, including white Americans.

The new findings appear in this months journal Diabetes Care from the American Diabetes Association.

The ADA says diabetes mellitus (MEL-ih-tus) is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin.

An estimated 15,000 children are diagnosed with type 1diabetes, and about 3,700 youth are diagnosed with type 2 in the U.S. annually.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 24 million Americans are currently living with diabetes

The Diabetes Care study says the number of Asian Americans with diabetes rose from just over 4 percent in 1997,  to 8 percent in 2008.

Among white adults in that same 12 year span, the prevalence rose to 6 percent.

Hsin-Chieh "Jessica" Yeh, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the senior researcher on the new study says most people are probably unaware genetics put Asians at risk for diabetes, according to Reuters Health.

When Yeh's team accounted for factors like age, BMI (which was typically lower), income, and exercise levels (also lower than whites), Asian background itself was linked to a 30 percent to 50 percent higher likelihood of having diabetes.

The findings are based on 230,500 U.S. adults questioned as part of the government health survey between.  About 11,000 were Asian American, the majority foreign-born.

The CDC says since 2002, approximately 5.5 million children annually have been under surveillance at the SEARCH research centers to estimate how many children/youth develop diabetes.  It is estimated to be 24.3 per 100,000 per year.

In the winter months, controlling diabetes in children and the elderly is especially important. The CDC says people with diabetes are three times more likely to die from flu complications. Death rates from pneumonia and influenza among African-Americans with diabetes are double the death rates among whites with diabetes.  One out of every four people hospitalized during last year's H1N1 pandemic had diabetes.

Aimee Keenan-Greene is a Southern New England based degreed journalist with more than 16 years media experience, including producing and writing television news in the Providence market as former Senior Producer and Special Projects Coordinator for WPRI-TV 12 and WNAC-TV Fox 64. Aimee also critiques produced news pieces for Ivanhoe Broadcast News. Recently, Aimee joined the PublicityCrew.Com PR firm as a writer and media consultant . Aimee has turned her love of cooking for family into a blog featuring recipes, news, and reviews. Check it out at ladeloflove.blogspot.com. Aimee is the mother of two grown step-sons and has two small children at home. Email her with questions at aimeekeenangreene@hotmail.com