This is "a worrying sign when you know the rising obesity rates among children in the UK," says Dr Julian Shield of the Royal Hospital for Children in Bristol. Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, significantly increases the risk of various pathologies and is more common among overweight individuals. However, it was still rare among children, except in some ethnic minorities, known to be at higher risk of developing diabetes.
Although genetics play a role, lack of exercise and an unbalanced diet are key to promoting its development. The authors of the study describe four cases of type 2 diabetes in obese white adolescents (3 girls and one boy, between 13 and 15 years old), the first cases, according to them, in England.
Like obesity, "type 2 diabetes is likely to become very common among children, who will therefore be susceptible to developing premature cardiovascular diseases," pediatricians note.
