A type of diabetes that normally occurs only in adults is now affecting an increasing number of children and adolescents, portending potential future disaster, according to studies from the United States, Canada and Japan. Virtually all of the reports emphasize that obesity in children and teens seems to play a major role in the early development of the disease. Nearly 16 million Americans have diabetes, a group of serious diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels that result from defects in the body’s ability to produce and/or use insulin. Diabetes can lead to severely debilitating or fatal complications, such as blindness, kidney disease, heart disease and amputations. It is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease in the U.S.

Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes) usually arises because of insulin resistance, in which the body fails to use insulin properly, combined with relative (rather than absolute) insulin deficiency. It is the most common type of diabetes and typically occurs in those over 45 and overweight. Far less common is type 1 diabetes (formerly called insulin-dependent diabetes), which is usually an autoimmune disorder that typically starts in children or young adults who are slim. Obesity was far more common than in the general population. More TV watching, more than 5 hours daily, compared with 2 hours or less, was associated with a significant increase in obesity in those age 10 to 19. High fitness levels and fiber consumption were associated with a decreased risk.

American Diabetes Association’s 59th Annual Scientific Sessions June 19, 1999 in San Diego

COMMENT: It really is quite amazing to consider that children are coming down with an adult highly degenerative illness like type 2 diabetes. I am not surprised though. And, after reflection, am more surprised at how well the body resists the ravages of the incredibly awful foods that most people consume. It is no wonder that kids are coming down with this type of illness. The treatment remains the same: a rigid avoidance of all sugars, and grain carbohydrate and restriction of all fluids to water.