According to a recent report by the government, if current instances of diabetes in children continue the way they are in the U.S., by 2050 the country could see the number of children affected by this disease increase drastically.
With fast food and junk being staple diets for many children in the U.S. these days, the current eating habits of youngsters needs to be looked into immediately and proper measurements to correct them should be taken. If not, the government warns of serious consequences.
According to a report released by the government, if the current diabetic trend continues, by 2050 the country could see the number of children affected by type 2 diabetes rise by 49 percent and rates of type 1 diabetes increase by 23 percent.
"These numbers are very important," said study lead author Dr. Giuseppina Imperatore, of the CDC's division of diabetes translation, in a report published in Medical Xpress. "As a society, we will need to plan and prepare for the high-quality care of these children."
In type 1 diabetes, the body stops producing insulin and the person needs to undergo insulin therapy, and survives with the artificial production of insulin. This type of diabetes is more common in the earlier stages of life, whereas type 2 diabetes is more common later, where a patient may not have to undergo insulin therapy.
"With type 1 diabetes, we still don't know how to prevent it," Imperatore said. "But for type 2 diabetes, there is a great deal of research in adults that shows increasing activity and losing weight can help prevent [it]. Now we need more research to see if this is also the case for children at risk of type 2 diabetes."
The December issue of the journal Diabetes Care contains detailed results of the study.
