Introduction Diabetes is a prevalent health disparity among the Latino population. Diabetes is listed as the fifth leading cause of death among the Latino population on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, website in 2009. According to McBean, “prevalence in 2001 among Hispanics was significantly higher than among blacks." (2317) In other words, the Hispanic or Latino community has a higher incidence of diabetes than other racial/ethnic groups such as Blacks and Native Americans. The prevalence of diabetes among Latinos is attributed to social determinants of health, such as low socioeconomic status and educational attainment. Furthermore, this becomes a major public health issue when it costs the United States $174 billion in direct and indirect costs, based on the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet published by the CDC. In turn, medical costs are twice as high for a patient who has diabetes than for one without. Ultimately, this high cost becomes another barrier to receiving care for Latinos when some are in a low socioeconomic status. In this study, past literature and current statistics will provide an explanation for the epidemic of diabetes health disparities among the Latino community. There will be another side to this disparity in terms of the role of acculturation on Latinos and how this impacts the rate of diabetes acquisition. Acculturation is the initial phase of assimilation, rather the way in which one integrates into the dominant culture. In the case of Latinos, it is adapting to American culture. Additionally, the role of acculturation and cultural lifestyle will be analyzed to validate its role in the high prevalence in the Latino community. After the triggers and the accu......middle of paper......Latin NGOs. The Journal of Nutrition, 137(4), 860-870. Fitzgerald, N., Hromi-Fiedler, A., Segura-Pérez, S., & Pérez-Escamilla, R. (2011). Food insecurity is linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes among Latinos. diabetes, 3(4), 24-26.Hu, F.B., Manson, J.E., Stampfer, M.J., Colditz, G., Liu, S., Solomon, C.G., & Willett, W.C. (2001). Diet, lifestyle and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. New England Journal of Medicine, 345(11), 790-797. Mainous, A. G., Diaz, V. A., & Geesey, M. E. (2008). Acculturation and healthy lifestyle among Latinos with diabetes. The Annals of Family Medicine, 6(2), 131-137.McBean, A.M., Li, S., Gilbertson, D.T., & Collins, A.J. (2004). Differences in the prevalence, incidence, and mortality of diabetes among older adults of four racial/ethnic groups: Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. Diabetes treatment, 27(10), 2317-2324.