Diabetes is on the Rise Among Tweens and Teens

Type 2 diabetes was once considered an old person’s disease; but as more Americans became obese, younger adults started developing the condition. Now type 2 diabetes is striking a growing number of kids. Data from the CDC show that about 17% of kids and teens in the U.S. are now considered obese, and a new study indicates that there has been a corresponding increase in childhood cases of type 2 diabetes. [1]

In the past, type 2 diabetes was referred to as adult-onset diabetes because the condition would take years to develop. These days, even toddlers are being diagnosed with the disease.

Scientists recently reviewed data on 10- to 19-year-olds in primarily five states – California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington – and determined that 12.5 of every 100,000 of them had full-blown type 2 diabetes in 2011 and 2012. In 2002 and 2003, just 9 out of every 100,000 kids had the disease. [1]

Read: Number of Children with Diabetes Jumps 14% Between 2000-2008

After accounting for age, gender, race, and ethnicity, the authors of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the incidence of type 2 diabetes in this age group rose by 4.8% during the study period. That means that about 1,500 more kids and teens were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year at the end of the study period compared with the beginning. [1]

Gaps in Gender and Ethnicity

The rate of new diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes rose most sharply in this age group among Native Americans (8.9%), Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (8.5%), and non-Hispanic blacks (6.3%). [2]

Among Hispanics ages 10 to 19, the rate of new diagnosed cases increased 3.1%. The smallest increase was seen in whites (0.6%).

The rate of new diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes increased much more significantly in females (6.2%) than in males (3.7%).

Source: Los Angeles Times

Barbara Linder, M.D., Ph.D., senior advisor for childhood diabetes research at NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said:

“These findings lead to many more questions. The differences among racial and ethnic groups and between genders raise many questions. We need to understand why the increase in rates of diabetes development varies so greatly and is so concentrated in specific racial and ethnic groups.” [2]

Tweens and Teens Affected Equally

In 2003, slightly more teens than tweens had type 2 diabetes, with 10 cases of type 2 diabetes per 100,000 teens (ages 15-19) compared with 8 cases per 100,000 among tweens (ages 10-14). However, by 2012, there were 12.9 cases per 100,000 in teens and 12.1 per 100,000 among tweens. [1]

Years of Life Lost

The complications of type 2 diabetes are many, but generally include heart and blood vessel disease; nerve damage (neuropathy); kidney damage, sometimes leading to the need for dialysis or transplant; eye damage; foot damage, often leading to infection and amputation; hearing loss; skin conditions; and possibly Alzheimer’s disease. [3]

The longer diabetes goes untreated, the more damage it does to the body. This is especially concerning among young people, whose lives may be shortened.

The number of years people lived with diabetes-related disabilities rose globally by nearly 33% between 2005 and 2015, according to a report published in 2016 in The Lancet. Conversely, the number of years of life lost to type 2 diabetes increased more than 25%. [1]

In other words, doctors are doing a better job of treating diabetes and diabetes-related conditions, yet “the overall adverse effect of diabetes on public health is actually increasing,” according to an editorial accompanying the study.

Sources:

[1] Los Angeles Times

[2] National Institutes of Health

[3] Mayo Clinic

Los Angeles Times

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Magic Food: 7 Vegetables You Can Regrow From Kitchen Scraps

Image source: Flickr / Creative Commons

There is a great form of recycling that is easy, fun and nutritious: re-growing vegetables from leftover scraps. You don’t need much to get started — just containers, soil, water and a sunny windowsill. Sometimes you don’t even need the soil.

Many vegetables have the ability to regenerate, and you can regrow quite a few common veggies with as little as a glass of water. It’s a great project for any time of the year, but especially during colder months when you likely don’t have access to your garden.

To help you begin, here is a list of vegetables that are easy to regrow.

1. Lettuce and cabbage — After you prepare a salad or a stew, do you toss the lettuce or cabbage heart in the trash or on the compost pile? Next time, place it in a shallow dish with about a half-inch of water and then put the dish on a sunny windowsill. The water will get cloudy and a bit smelly, so you will want to replace it every day or two.

After three days or so, you will notice new leaves sprouting. When they are large enough for eating, you can harvest them. Leave the head in some clean water, and you can repeat the process.

2. Scallions, green onions, leeks and fennel – Set the white root base in enough water to completely cover the bulb and then place the container on your windowsill.

The All-Natural Fertilizer That Doubles Your Garden Yield!

Replace the water every few days. After a week or so, you will notice new growth. You can keep regenerating these bulbs and even can transfer them outdoors in the spring.

3. Onions – Onions need a bit more room, but they are still easy to grow. Place the onion’s root section in a cup of water on a sunny windowsill and watch for sign of regrowth. When the bulb has grown back, transfer the plant to a large pot of soil. You can replant it in your outdoor garden during the warmer weather.

4. Garlic – Did you know that you could regenerate a garlic plant from just one clove? Here’s how: Plant the clove root-end down in a pot of soil and then place the pot where it can get direct sunlight.

5. Ginger – To regenerate the root of the ginger plant, which is the part you use in cooking, take a fresh piece and submerge it partially in soil with the nubbins pointing upward.

Place the pot in indirect sunlight and keep the soil moist, and the root will begin growing within about two weeks. To obtain fresh ginger, pull up the plant, harvest some of its root and then repeat the process.

6. Celery – Celery takes a while to regrow, but the results are worth it. Place the base (about an inch or two) in a jar of water on a sunny window ledge. As with some of the other veggies, you will need to replace the cloudy water regularly. Tiny sprouts begin to appear in about a week. After a few more weeks, you will see enough growth to harvest.

7. Bean Sprouts – Soak your leftover dry beans overnight before spreading them out evenly on towels to dry. Repeat this process three or more times until you begin to notice sprouts appearing. You may use the sprouts on sandwiches and in salads. Store any leftover sprouts in the refrigerator.

Like many gardening projects, regrowing vegetables takes some time and some patience. Usually, the fresher the scraps, the better the results will be.

Keep in mind that many plants are sensitive to chlorine or fluoride. If you are on a municipal water system, consider using distilled water for your kitchen scrap garden. Also, if your windowsills do not get much sunlight, grow lights will work well.

What advice would you add? Share it in the section below:

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