2 million U.S. children between the ages of 12 and 19 have a pre-diabetic condition linked to obesity and inactivity. This condition puts them at risk for full-blown diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, working with the National Institutes of Health, looked at the frequency of abnormally high blood sugar levels after several hours without eating (a condition called impaired fasting glucose) in nearly 1,000 teens. They discovered that:
- One in 14 adolescents had the condition
- Among the overweight adolescents, it one in 6 suffered from it
- Affected adolescents were also more likely to have higher than normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Elevated fasting glucose can progress to type 2 (adult onset) diabetes over time. Roughly 177,000 Americans under age 20 have diabetes; most have type 1, or juvenile onset diabetes. But type 2 diabetes among youngsters has increased, from only 4 percent a decade ago to 25 percent today.
