Widespread childhood obesity could lead to later diabetes epidemic

NEW YORK A pediatric endocrinologist from the University of Michigan warns that widespread childhood obesity could give way to an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes in young adults.

In a prepared statement released Tuesday, Dr. Joyce Lee said that obese children were more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes as young adults. As such, the total effect of the obesity epidemic had yet to become clear. Diabetes can take up to 10 years or longer to develop.

Lately, there have been large increases in Type 2 diabetes among young adults, where before it mostly affected old people. Lee wrote in an article published in this month’s issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine that more had to be done to fight childhood obesity.