A disturbing trend is hitting the diabetes world; it’s the fact that more and more children are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The increase of Type 2 diabetes in children and teens is partially due to the fact it is being diagnosed more readily, and also to the increasing incidence of Type 2 diabetes in the population generally.
As it turns out, some children and teens who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes over the years, may in fact have Type 2 diabetes. But the treatment for both is to keep blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible but the understanding and strategy for doing that may be a little different. While Type 2 diabetes in children is becoming a real epidemic, the onset of the condition is steady, as it can take anywhere from eight to 10 years for it to develop. It follows on the heels of another childhood epidemic… obesity.
More often than not, there are no early signs, as the signs are so mild they are generally missed. It is really important to realize overweight or obese children are at serious risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is still dominant in children but research shows Type 2 diabetes will probably take the lead in the next 10 years. Obese children will, more often than not, turn out to become obese adults.
Are the Symptoms Any Different in Children?
Like adults, children with Type 2 diabetes can develop symptoms slowly over a long period. They might include:
On the other hand there may be no symptoms at all, and a diagnosis may be made by the doctor during a regular visit.
Having family members with Type 2 diabetes and being overweight may bring on the disease, particularly if there is excess fat around the abdomen. This stops insulin from lowering the blood sugar effectively, and a condition known as insulin resistance develops.
While genetics cannot be helped, obesity can be taken care of; nearly 85% of children diagnosed with this condition are either obese or overweight.
Treatment Involves The Entire Family:
The best plan is to improve the whole family’s lifestyle, rather than just focusing a lot of attention on the child with Type 2 diabetes. Often the adults in the family are also overweight and even have Type 2 diabetes.
The real key to managing children with Type 2 is increasing exercise and decreasing sweets or carbohydrate portions. One of the main culprits in obesity among young people, is sugar-containing fluids, such as soft drinks and various sweetened drinks. Many soft drinks contain between 6 and 8 teaspoons of sugar, often in the form of the concentrated and fattening high fructose corn syrup.
Switching to water or even tea at meal times, reducing the junk food and trips to fast food restaurants, and keeping only healthy drinks and snacks in the house, is certainly a big step in the right direction.
A Healthy Diet for Children includes:
Actually this is a nutritious eating plan for all people, with or without Type 2 diabetes.
