From Your Health Journal…..”A great article written by Jean Jadhon of WDBJ-TV entitled More Children are Getting This Disease and It is Preventable. This web site focuses a lot on keeping children (and their families) healthy. We have discussed in length how type 2 diabetes is on the rise in children. Many years ago, it was called ‘adult onset’ diabetes, as it was thought to effect mostly grownups. Sadly, many kids come down with this disease, which in most cases, is environmental. We know there is a direct correlation between obesity and type 2 diabetes, so the question comes up – how can we prevent it. The obvious answer is the eat healthy, size appropriate portions, have the kids get plenty of daily physical activity, adequate sleep, and proper hydration. But, it is deeper than this, as children need to be educated on healthy lifestyle, with role models that keep a close watch on what they do each day to ensure the are taking the proper steps to a healthier life. As the article wisely points out – It’s much easier to prevent Type 2 diabetes than to treat it. Please visit the WDBJ-TV web site (link provided below) to view the complete article.”
From the article…..
Most parents would do anything to protect their children, but many may not be protecting their children from one disease.
An alarming statistic shows more children than ever before are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. One in three new cases of Type 2 diabetes is now diagnosed in someone under 18.
The reason: overweight children.
Children have long been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, in which the body fails to make enough insulin to process sugar in the blood. But doctors are now seeing a an increase in kids with Type 2 diabetes. That’s where fat cells enlarge with weight gain and thwart the body’s ability to break down sugars.
For the first time ever the American Academy of Pediatrics is issuing guidelines for preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes in children. The biggest reason for the increase in cases in children is obesity.
“It’s ridiculous how many kids are overweight,” said Dr. Robert Gard, a pediatrician with Physicians to Children in Roanoke. Dr. Gard said it all comes down to what kids are eating. Eating too much fast food, too many fatty foods, and foods that are too high in sugar, according to Dr. Gard, is the reason more children are overweight.
The new recommendations call for at least one hour of physical activity every day for children, but Gard says while exercise is great, it’s what children are eating that is the biggest problem.
“The diet choices that are being made and are offered are limited and it’s cheap food that’s high in fat and a lot of carbs (carbhydrates),” said Dr. Gard. It’s those simple sugars that Dr. Gard said the body processes and stores as fat.
Sadly Dr. Gard said so many children are overweight that now many parents think their children are at a healthy weight when they’re not.
To read the complete article…..Click here