A 3-year-old girl from Texas has become the youngest person in the world to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after reaching 5½ stone (35 kg).
While this largely preventable disease is usually associated with adult-onset, according to Dr. Michael Yafi, Director of Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of Texas, “The incidence of type-2 diabetes has increased dramatically worldwide in children due to the epidemic of child obesity.”
Sadly, this case appears to be the most shocking one yet. Weighing in at 35 kilos, the unnamed girl was admitted to an obesity clinic. Both the child's parents are clinically obese, and a review of the family’s diet found they had “poor nutritional habits”, subsisting on foods high in fat and sugar.
And although upsetting, based on current trends, it is unlikely that the incident will be an isolated one. In fact, according to reports released by the American National Center for Health Statistics (HCHS) on the same day, over a third of children and adolescents in the US eat fast food daily.
7-year-olds diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in Britain
Closer to home in the UK, children first began to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2000, where cases as young as nine were seen. In recent years, doctors say they have seen cases as young as seven. Around 100 under-10s are now diagnosed in Britain each year.
According to health experts, parents are largely to blame for driving their children to school, feeding them junk food and letting them lounge around for hours. Left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can lead to heart attacks, or losing a limb, or their sight before these children reach their 30s and 40s.
Can be treated
With medication and a complete overhaul of diet and lifestyle, the good news is that Type 2 diabetes can be treatable. The little girl in Texas was started on a diabetes drug, and her parents were asked to implement a calorie controlled diet and increase her physical activity levels. Within just six months she had dropped to just over four stone and her blood glucose levels had returned to safe levels.
“Reversal of type 2 diabetes in children is possible by early screening of obese children, early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and lifestyle modification“ Dr Michael Yafi told the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
7-year-olds diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in Britain
Closer to home in the UK, children first began to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2000, where cases as young as nine were seen. In recent years, doctors say they have seen cases as young as seven. Around 100 under-10s are now diagnosed in Britain each year.
According to health experts, parents are largely to blame for driving their children to school, feeding them junk food and letting them lounge around for hours. Left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can lead to heart attacks, or losing a limb, or their sight before these children reach their 30s and 40s.
Can be treated
With medication and a complete overhaul of diet and lifestyle, the good news is that Type 2 diabetes can be treatable. The little girl in Texas was started on a diabetes drug, and her parents were asked to implement a calorie controlled diet and increase her physical activity levels. Within just six months she had dropped to just over four stone and her blood glucose levels had returned to safe levels.
“Reversal of type 2 diabetes in children is possible by early screening of obese children, early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and lifestyle modification“ Dr Michael Yafi told the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
