It used to be that children were not apt to develop type II diabetes. Now, all that has changed. The disease has taken over the lives of countless children with no end in sight to this epidemic.
So how do we protect our children from this disease? There are actually quite a few things that a parent can do to deter diabetes from taking over the lives of our children. Not only will this increase the quality of life for these children, but it lessens the likelihood that they will have diabetic offspring.
There are many factors that put a child at an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The main one of these is being overweight. Having excess weight on affects so many other areas of a child's health. Not only does extra weight severely alter a child's system, but once a child becomes overweight they are more than twice as likely to develop diabetes.
So why has the percentage of children being diagnosed seen such a dramatic increase? A big reason is lifestyle. Children used to have to go outside to get their entertainment. From running, baseball, tag, hide and seek, etc., children had to rely on physical exertion to have fun. Now, those activities have been replaced with computers, cell phones, and video games.
Other factors contribute to childhood onset of type 2 diabetes. Family history has a part in the likelihood and if the child is a girl the chances are also increased.
Another key factor has been the way we eat. Now, our lives have become accustomed to convenience- especially when we eat. Time spent around the dinner table has been replaced with piling in the car and hitting the drive-thru.
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