Slavery, salt and survival: a hypothesis on the greater prevalence of high blood pressure in Western Hemisphere blacks
Cave Hill; University of the West Indies, (Cave Hill). Department of History; 1989. 24 p.
Não convencional
em Inglês
| MedCarib
| ID: med-7926
Biblioteca responsável:
JM3.1
Localização: JM3.1; QP535.N2W55
ABSTRACT
High blood pressure of unknown cause (essential hypertension) is the major chronic illness contributing to premature morbidity and mortality in western hemisphere Blacks. As a group, blacks in the western hemisphere have higher mean blood pressure levels than blacks from Sub-Sahara Africa where essential hypertension is strickingly less common. Because of the similar heritage of these populations it has been suggested that blood pressure differences between them is most likely due to environmental differences such as variations in diet or biobehavioral stress. We suggest a new hypothesis:
selective survival related to sodium (Na+) metabolism during the slavery period of Western hemisphere blacks and Sub-Sahara African Blacks which now play a major role in these geographic variations in blood pressure. Most blacks in the western hemisphere are descendants from a population of sub-Saharan Africans that survived the selection pressure of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and new world slavery; ancestors of most current Black Africans had no such experience. The present atricle reviews the importance of Na+ metabolism in the causes of mortality during the slave trade and estimates Na+ losses due to sweating, diarrhea and vomiting. The magnitude of these potential losses make it likely that fatal Na+ depletion was a major contributor to the high mortality. Thus, we suggest that the slave trade imposed severe demands on Na+ homepstasis and those most likely to survive were most capable of conserving Na+ than those who did not. In today's high dietary Na+ enviroment the descendants of African slaves may be more susceptible to Na+ sensitive" hypertension than the descendents of Black Africans without this heritage. (AU)
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
Bases de dados internacionais
Contexto em Saúde:
ODS3 - Saúde e Bem-Estar
/
Doenças Negligenciadas
Problema de saúde:
Meta 3.4: Reduzir as mortes prematuras devido doenças não transmissíveis
/
Diarreia
Base de dados:
MedCarib
Assunto principal:
Sódio
/
Hipertensão
Tipo de estudo:
Estudo de prevalência
/
Fatores de risco
País/Região como assunto:
África
/
América do Norte
/
América do Sul
/
Caribe
Idioma:
Inglês
Ano de publicação:
1989
Tipo de documento:
Não convencional