Can Type 2 Diabetes Still Be Referred to As Adult-Onset Diabetes?

Yes, it is true, Type 2 diabetes was known for years as 'adult-onset diabetes' as it was generally diagnosed in people aged 40 and older. Typically, adults this age may be reducing their level of activity and putting on weight. In those pre-disposed to Type 2 diabetes, the combination of becoming more inactive and overweight can bring problems like insulin resistance to the foreground, increasing the chances of a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

With today's young people also becoming increasingly sedentary and obese, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes in the young, 13 years and up, has skyrocketed. Many believe a genetic predisposition also exists, although this has not been conclusively proven.

Environmental factors are often the same within families, i.e. a child of obese parents will often also be obese. Other hereditary factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol also factor into Type 2 diabetes. This makes it difficult to pin down a genetic cause for Type 2, although several studies have isolated genes that may be partially responsible.

13,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes yearly. The number of children diagnosed with Type 2 yearly is under investigation... recent studies in various cities showed 30% of 10 to 19 year olds with diabetes suffer from Type 2, but these studies were heavily weighted from data resulting from research done among the Pima Indians from Arizona, where 50% of the children had Type 2 diabetes. This has been attributed to access to quantities of modern foods, including processed foods, which resulted in a sudden spike in obesity among the tribal youth.

Nonetheless, the CDC, NIH, and other government run institutions worldwide, are funding additional research to investigate why adolescents and teens are being diagnosed in ever increasing numbers. Many blame lifestyle for the sudden rise in Type 2 diabetes among today's youth, in other words:

sedentary living combined with
poor diet which includes the standard school cafeteria fare

The main factors that appear to contribute to the chances of Type 2 diabetes in children include:

being significantly overweight or obese and
having a family history of Type 2 diabetes

Studies performed by researchers from Yale University School of Medicine have found that nearly 25% of 167 obese children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 18 had impaired glucose tolerance/insulin resistance... which has long been a warning sign of adult-onset diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes may not be able to be referred to as 'adult-onset' for much longer if these trends continue. Health professionals urge families with a history of Type 2 diabetes to work on health issues as a family, encouraging exercise and healthy eating to reduce the chances of both obesity and the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.

About this Author

And now I would like you to claim you Free E-Book when you visit Answers to Your Questions You will get access to information diabetics have asked for over recent months. Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective. http://drugfreetype2diabetes.com/blog - Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active.

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