Type 2 diabetes increasingly prevalent in today’s youth
Jessica True
Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult onset diabetes, but the term is no longer accurate due to the fact that young people are now frequently devloping the disease.The illness that was once only for mature adults was believed to form due to obesity, but there are now dietary factors as well as hereditary ones.
“Type 1 diabetes occurs whenthe body’s immune systemdestroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas,” said Kathryn Jones, a retired dietitian from Banner Hospital.
Type 2 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that developes when the body’s cells do not use insulin properly and become insulin-resistant. In other words, cells do notutilize insulin in spite of there being a good supply.
“Becoming overweightis one of the main reasons for developing insulin resistance,” Jones said.
“The youth of today are eating more fast food and getting heavier than their normal weight,” she added.
A person’s body size is measured by the body mass index(BMI). A normal body mass index is around 18-20 for boys and about 23 for girls.
WhenBMI is above 25, it can contribute to insulin resistance. The higher the body mass index, the more insulin resistance there is.
Eventually the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin andType 2 diabetes occurs.
Small children who are normal weight can have Type 1 diabetes, which is completely different from Type 2.
A concern with Type 1 diabetes in young people is abusing insulin to lose weight, such as when the food that is eaten is not combined with insulin and gets excreted without weight gain. This condition is called diabulimia.
With proper diet and activity diabetes can be controlled and people can live a normal life.
Many well known people have achieved great success without letting diabetes hold them back.
Examples include Olympic gold medalist Gary Hall Jr. and actress Mary Tyler Moore, both who have had long and successful careers while managing diabtetes.
