From Our 2008 Archives Kids' Obesity May Lead to Epidemic of
Adult Diabetes Latest Diabetes News TUESDAY, July 8 (HealthDay
News) — The current childhood obesity epidemic in the United
States may lead to large numbers of young adults developing type
2 diabetes in the future, along with serious diabetes-related
health complications, warns a University of Michigan researcher.
"The full impact of the childhood obesity epidemic has yet to be
seen, because it can take up to 10 years or longer for obese
individuals to develop type 2 diabetes. Children who are obese
today are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes as young
adults," Dr. Joyce Lee, a pediatric endocrinologist at the
university's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, said in a prepared
statement. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely he
or she is to develop serious complications such as kidney
failure and blindness, Lee noted. That means that young adults
with type 2 diabetes are much more likely to develop such
complications during their lifetime