As
the world battles with an epidemic that is proving difficult to manage
and showing signs of becoming a costly affair, our children are getting
caught in the cross fire. Adult onset diabetes, weight loss surgery and
weight loss medication for children is not exactly what parent had in
mind when planning for their posterity.
An article by Kids Health highlights some report that shows that as
many as 45% of U.S children newly diagnosed with diabetes have Type 2.
One of the main causes is pointing towards obesity in children and
teens.
Type 2 diabetes was formally considered to occur exclusively in adults
hence its previous long time name Adult Onset Diabetes, as opposed to
Type 1 diabetes which was referred to as Juvenile Diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease whereby your body is unable to control glucose
accordingly. This results to abnormal levels of blood sugar. In Type 2,
the body is unable to respond to insulin, a hormone that regulates the
amount of glucose in the blood stream. The condition is also known as
insulin resistance.
Among adults it is an accompanying disease of obesity. 80% of obese
individuals suffer from Type 2 diabetes. Similar trends seem to be
creeping into children and teens. And why not, children are living a
similar lifestyle as their parents. Infact obese and overweight
children often are found in families were at least one parent is
overweight or obese; yet another strong indicator that obesty is a
lifestyle issue.
Andrew L. Young, Director of the Future of Children and other Economic
studies programs projects of Brookings Institutions, laments of
"screen-addicted recess-and-P.E deprived, parent-chauffeured children"
who are living a lifestyle that is "dangerous to their health" in an
article titled Let's get children moving toward a healthier future.
Statistics are not only grim in the U.S. In Canada child obesity cases
are also on the increase. In 1978/79 only 3% of children 2-17 years
were obese according to Canada Community Healthy Survey (CCHS). By
2004, the numbers had nearly tripled to 8%. The overweight had doubled
from 14% to 29% as reported in The Daily. All this is attributed to
lifestyles primarily diet and exercises
In U.K were the epidemic is raising, weight loss pills and weight loss
surgery are being suggested for obese children! The National Institute
for Health and Clinical Studies (NICE) is reported in the BBC News as
proposing surgeries for physiologically mature kids and pills for the
younger ones.
NICE is an independent organization in London that provides national
guidance on the promotion of good health and prevention and treatment
of ill health. It's a membership includes National Institute of Health
(NIH U.K), healthcare professional and academicians.
Obesity is a multi-factorial condition that requires a holistic and
long-term approach. It is this view organization like NICE and others
of similar wide influence should really concentrate on for weight loss
management. Though in the short term matters are really pressing, they
should not lose sight of the long-haul. The permanent weight loss
solution lays in the latter rather than the former.
This
content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new information on weight loss becomes
available. The information is intended for
educational purposes only. Please
consult your healthcare provider before beginning
any kind of weight loss program
