For years, health experts have predicted that Type 2 diabetes would become a severe problem among today’s youth as obesity rates continue to rise. Unfortunately, those predictions are coming true. For the first time ever experts have conclusive evidence that Type 2 diabetes among youth has reached epidemic-status, and only seems to be worsening.

Researchers analyzed data from a study of more than 3,800 youth ages 12 to 19 who participated in a federal survey. According to the report published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that the number of teens with diabetes or ‘pre-diabetes’ (individuals showing early signs of diabetes), rose from 9 percent in 1999 to 23 percent in 2008.

Previously, health experts and physicians rarely saw diabetes in kids. But it’s becoming more and more common as more children in our country are being diagnosed as overweight or obese. This news is especially alarming as diabetes is also known to cause such related issues as blindness, nerve damage, heart attack and stroke.
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Women now have even more motivation to get up and move throughout the day. According to a new study published in the American Journal in Preventive Medicine, women who spend between four and seven hours each day sitting are at increased risk of developing the early signs of type 2 diabetes. However, this research does not show the same link in men.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson Jessica Crandall sums up the problem by stating, “The reality for many Americans is that we work nine-to-five jobs and are sedentary most of the work day, increasing our risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is that type 2 diabetes is preventable through maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in physical activity throughout the day, not just after you get home from work.”

The importance of getting activity throughout the day is highlighted with the fact that the risks are still significant if moderate or vigorous exercise is added in after a long day of sitting.
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Diabetes used to be a concern primarily for the older population. But now, the reality is that kids are at a high risk of developing the disease, too. And even more alarming is that there’s currently no one pill that’s been proven to treat the condition.

More kids have Type 2 diabetes now than ever before. And the main cause of this is childhood obesity – it’s all linked together. In fact, according to a recent article from NPR, more than half of new cases of diabetes are now Type 2 compared with just 3 percent a few decades back.

Type 2 diabetes, once called adult-onset and non-insulin dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes glucose and sugar. With the condition, the body still produces insulin – a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar into our cells – but the body has either become resistant to its effects or cannot produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level. Left uncontrolled, the consequences of type 2 diabetes can be fatal.

Treating diabetes in children specifically is becoming a growing issue, especially since recent research has shown medications can only do so much.
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Restaurant owner, author and celebrity cook Paula Deen has been making headlines a lot lately. The southern belle, known for her love of foods that are rich in butter, sugar and all things creamy and fried was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Deen announced in January that she has type 2 diabetes and she has managed to drop two pant sizes since then. Her weight loss has aided in her feeling better and she achieve it through walking 30 minutes each day and cutting her portion sizes in half.

“I’ve dropped two pant sizes and I feel great!” Deen said. Although she is losing weight and dropping sizes, Deen doesn’t keep track of her exact weight. “We don’t have a scale in our house. Every six months I go for a physical and find out. Now it’s time to see the doctor. She’ll be so happy if I’ve lost weight,” Deen said.

Paula Deen has known she’s had type 2 diabetes for over three years, but didn’t officially announce her disease until this past January. She’s received a lot of backlash for continuing to cook foods that are high in fat and calories instead of raising awareness toward a healthier diet.

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Modern studies are now linking the obesity and diabetes epidemic to modern chemicals, not necessarily our diet and exercise habits.

Scientists are arguing that synthesized substances that are found in things like pesticides and water bottles are actually scrambling hormone signals. These disturbances are being blamed for tricking fat cells into taking in more fat. Another proposed result of hormone disruption is that the pancreas is being mislead into secreting excess insulin, causing interference in the  regulation of carbohydrate and fat breakdown. The main culprit being blamed is bisphenol A, known as BPA. This chemical is found in plastics and food-can linings.

The so-called endocrine disruptor has been the center of a recent Spanish study. “When you eat something with BPA, it’s like telling your organs that you are eating more than you are really eating,” says Angel Nadal, a BPA expert at the Miguel Hernandez University in Spain.

Nadal’s research also finds that BPA triggers the release of almost double the insulin needed to break down food. High insulin levels can desensitize the body to the hormone, which in some people may lead to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. These are arguable findings. The fact that a chemical, not our super-size fast food and sedentary lifestyles, is to blame for the insurmountable numbers of obesity and diabetes cases seems ridiculous, but is there truly merit?

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