Once a rare occurrence, children with
adult diabetes are becoming commonplace.
Doctors
blame it on too much food and too little exercise and fear when this overweight generation
reaches adulthood there will be a tragic upswing in disastrous diabetic complications.
They are convinced they see the leading edge
of a dangerous shift, one that will inevitably lead to kidney failure, blindness, heart
attacks, amputations and more as these young
people
live another 10 or 20 years with their diabetes.
“There is an epidemic
of Type 2 diabetes in youth” said Dr. Jay Maust at the Children’s Clinic of
SWLA. “A decade ago we saw an occasional child with Type 2, now half the children
diagnosed with diabetes has Type 2.”
Until this increase, almost
all diabetes in children was Type 1, what was called juvenile diabetes where victims stop
making insulin completely, so they cannot convert sugar to energy.
But Type 2 has always been a disease of people in
their 50s, 60s and beyond.
Their bodies still
make insulin, but the system does not work correctly.
They may go for years without realizing they have it.
The epidemic of Type 2
directly corresponds to the epidemic of obese children. Why are children in the country
getting heavier?
Kids are less and less
physically active.
Time that used to be spent
moving is now spent idle in front of a computer, video game, or TV.
Convenience foods and 20-ounce sodas in school
vending machines fill up a child with hundreds of needless calories from sugar and fats.
Recent studies show that
African American, Hispanic, and Native American children have more Type 2 diabetes than
white children.
Dr. Maust recommends ,
“Parents need to set a good example. Make physical activity a family
affair—walking, team sports, roller blading. Support each other in improving your
diets by limiting sweets and fats, and eating more grains, fruits and vegetables.”
Early detection and
treatment to keep glucose as normal as possible can potentially prevent complications.
“We know what happens to adults with Type 2
diabetes who don’t take care of it properly. They die prematurely,” said Dr.
Maust. “There is no reason to believe this will be different for adolescents.”
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