Page "Tohono O'odham" Paragraph 17

Since the 1960s, obesity, and with it, type 2 diabetes have become commonplace among tribal members.

Half to three-quarters of all adults are diagnosed with the disease, and about a third of the tribe's adults require regular medical treatment.

Federal medical programs have not provided solutions for these problems within the population, and some tribal members have turned to traditional foods and traditional games to control the obesity that often leads to diabetes.

Research by Gary Paul Nabhan and others shows that traditional foods regulate blood sugar.

A local non-profit, TOCA, has started a cafe that serves traditional foods.