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Home › Articles › Health › Highs And Lows

Highs And Lows

An Inside Look at Teens and Diabetes

By Laura Cone

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Like a typical teen, Tyler partakes in school sports, playing lacrosse and football. When he goes out on the field to play, he straps a glucose tablet to his water bottle, just in case he needs it. Unfortunately, his diet is also that of a typical teen. "His diet is Cheetos, ice cream and chocolate syrup, which is the stuff he should not have," Smith says. "He knows he should not be having that, but how do you stop him? I know he knows better. We see doctors frequently with the checkups, and everyone is on him to take care of himself."

Food is a real issue when it comes to diabetes and teens – the wrong kinds and too much. Dr. Ann Kulze, a physician and wellness consultant in Charleston, S.C., says a growing number of teenagers suffer with Type II diabetes, which used to be called adult-onset diabetes, because doctors rarely diagnosed children with the disease. "We are in the midst of a true epidemic of Type II diabetes," she says. "Unfortunately, it's occurring now in children as young as 5."

The Obesity Connection
Dr. Kulze says Type II diabetes makes up about one-third of the new cases of diabetes in children and teens. "Obesity is what seems to be the biggest driving force in the escalation," she says. "The second most powerful risk factor for Type II diabetes would be physical inactivity. The third would be genetic influences, and fourth would be specific dietary habits such as consumption of trans fats, refined carbohydrates, foods that have been shown to lead to insulin resistance, which is the underlying metabolic problem in Type II diabetes."


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