The Diabetes Debacle

Incidences of diabetes are on the rise and consequently, so are cases of Type 2 diabetes amongst children. We break down the disease and find out why our children are at risk.

When anyone mentions children with diabetes, it’s almost a given to assume it refers to Type 1 diabetes (T1D). After all, its moniker is juvenile diabetes, while Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often referred to as adult-onset diabetes. Before the 1990s, that’s exactly what the medical community assumed: T2D was exclusive only to adults while those under 20 could only get T1D. Then something changed, causing children and teenagers to be diagnosed with T2D. It was uncommon, but the numbers slowly and steadily climbed until we had a real problem manifesting underneath our very noses – a problem that now costs our nation a hefty one billion dollars annually.

The Obesity Connection

T2D is a chronic condition that affects the way our body metabolises glucose. With the disease, our body is either resistant to the effects of insulin or does not produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level.

The problem with T2D is that it has no cure and many long-term complications that range from cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, and blindness, to amputation and Alzheimer’s Disease.