A three-year-old girl from Texas had such an unhealthy diet that her doctor diagnosed her for Type 2 diabetes, otherwise known as adult-onset diabetes. Weighing 77 lbs, the young girl is being treated by a specialist and now, her case will be discussed at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes' annual meet, according to BBC.
Dr. Michael Yafi said in a press release that the toddler was referred to his clinic for "symptoms of excessive urination and thirst," but the family's medical history showed no signs of diabetes. Dr. Yafi then reviewed the girl's diet and discovered that the family generally had "poor nutritional habits with uncontrolled counting of calories and fat."
"I'm very vigilant and screen all obese children I see for signs of the disease but I was surprised to find it in someone so young," said Yafi via BBC. "The case is probably the youngest reported but with no global register it is hard to be sure."
Through the doctor's help, the child eventually lost weight and leveled off her blood sugar, as type 2 diabetes may be reversed through lifestyle and dietary changes. Within six months, the toddler no longer had diabetes, according to the Guardian, but Dr. Yafi warns her case may not be isolated as it's highly possible there are other children just like her.
"The incidence of type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically worldwide in children due to the epidemic of child obesity," the doctor said, according to Telegraph. "Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of type 2 diabetes even in very young obese children," Yafi added.
Obesity in children, one of the root causes of diabetes, is largely the parents' fault, according to health experts via the Daily Mail. Many are becoming so used to the "couch potato lifestyle," as children are more preoccupied by computer games, internet and television indoors.
"They don't walk to school any more, they are driven by their parents, and they don't play outside because of the perceived threat to their safety," said Professor Nick Finer from the Center for Obesity Research.
"We should be looking at policies that prevent school fields being sold off and enable children to cycle to school without being knocked off their bikes. These go hand in hand with encouraging a healthy lifestyle," he added.
In the United States, childhood obesity has quadrupled in the last 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and it has become an epidemic.
