It's often said that Native Americans suffer from diabetes at rates disproportionate to the general population. A case study of just how bad the problem is can be found in a profile of the Potawatomi Indians of the Midwest and Canada, as reported in this week's Kalamazoo Gazette. In the feature, a member of Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi estimated that one in four of the 2,700-member tribe has diabetes.

Here's a measure of how badly this is affecting the people: the Pokagon Band last year agreed to reduce the qualifying age to be an elder from sixty-five to fifty-five. The reason? You guessed it. The diabetes problem means more members are dying before they reach their sixties. Another sign of the impact of diabetes: blind and amputee vendors working craft and jewelry stands at the recent annual Potawatomi gathering in Michigan. "It's almost catastrophic," says a tribal council member.

A local health department official is quoted in the article expressing the concern of health officials and saying that efforts to combat the spread of the disease are ongoing, and include education programs for the community.

Pictured: a traditional Potawatomi design.