According to the U.S. Surgeon General, approximately 13 percent of children age six to eleven years old, and 14 percent of adolescents twelve to nineteen years old are overweight. In the year 2000, a panel of experts from the American Diabetes Association estimated that on average, 20 percent of newly diagnosed diabetes in children was type 2, and 85 percent of these kids were obese. Type 2 diabetes was once almost exclusively an adult disease, but in recent years the numbers of children with diabetes type 2 is increasing at alarming rates.
With today’s surge in video technology, kids are spending hours sitting in front of television screens and computer monitors. It should come as no surprise that children are gaining weight. Kids are electing to play sports with their fingers on a glowing screen rather than play outside in real competitive action. The more sedentary the lifestyle, the less calories a person needs. Yet, ironically fast food, candy and super-sized high-fat, low-fiber foods have become an American dietary staple. This low-activity high-calorie lifestyle is making children fat. And for some children, unlucky genetics also come into play.
Weight problems in childhood can lead to countless medical problems, like hypertension, respiratory infections, atherosclerosis, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes.
Why are overweight kids at risk for type 2 diabetes?
- Overweight kids have fewer available insulin receptors. Fat cells have less insulin receptors than muscle cells. This means there is less ability for the insulin to bind with the cells to process glucose into energy.
- Fat cells release free fatty acids (FFAs.) Abdominal fat, in particular, releases free fatty acids, which interfere with glucose metabolism.
- More fat requires more insulin. With a greater body mass, the child’s pancreas has to boost its insulin production to meet the body’s needs. This causes a vicious cycle where the body becomes somewhat resistant to all the insulin produced, thereby causing a rise in blood glucose. This excess sugar in the blood is then turned into more body fat, requiring more insulin production, etc.
What can be done?
Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 is preventable in children. By simply increasing your child’s level of daily activity, and limiting high-fat foods, your child’s risk for type 2 decreases.
- Get the whole family involved in fitness. Rather than single out your overweight child, make getting fit and healthy a family affair. Go on family bike rides, walks, and support each other in school sports and extra curricular athletics.
- Get rid of the fatty foods in your refrigerator and pantry, and avoid fast food restaurants. It’s not fair to make your child “diet” while the rest of you pig out. Making better food choices when you’re grocery shopping is a way to improve everyone’s health.
- Limit T.V. and video game time. You can start by having your child “earn” T.V. time by matching it minute-for-minute with outdoor activity. If your child rides his bike for an hour, he gets an hour of T.V. time. Have certain days where T.V. viewing is not allowed, period. This will stimulate your child’s creativity and get him naturally more involved in physical activity.
Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here.
For more information, see Teresa McEntire’s blog, “How to Prevent Childhood Obesity.”