Type 2 diabetes on the rise in children, experts say

HOUSTON Despite its “adult-onset” designation, Type 2 diabetes has risen at a high rate among children, and this has experts worried.

Physicians gathered in Houston Saturday to discuss strategies for preventing and treating the disease among children and adolescents at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ 18th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress.

“Type 2 diabetes is extremely complex,” pediatric endocrinologist and session monitor A. Jay Cohen said. “The rapid rise in obesity, physical inactivity and the consumption of excess calories seems to have led to the epidemic of children with Type 2 diabetes.”

The National Institutes of Health is conducting two clinical trials to identify children at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes and demonstrate the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention. In the first trial, researchers are tracking 6,400 children from sixth to eighth grade to determine if modifications in exercise programs and nutrition in the school environment can reduce the risk of the disease, measuring the children’s body mass indices, fasting glucose levels and fasting insulin levels. In the second trial, the researchers will explore the best treatment options.

“It is imperative to expose the social, behavioral and environmental factors which have led to this epidemic,” pediatric endocrinologist and study chairwoman Francine Kaufman said.