Voice of the Diabetic

Voice of the Diabetic

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DEALING WITH OBESITY IN CHILDREN

About 16 million Americans have diabetes, and approximately

90% of them have type 2, non insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM). People with

type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance, the inability to fully utilize their

body's insulin to properly process blood glucose. Obesity and insulin resistance

are closely linked -- the more excess weight, the greater the insulin resistance,

and the harder it is to keep your blood sugars in the normal range. If you have

type 2 diabetes, weight reduction is an urgent concern.

Current statistics tell us a majority of Americans (~55%, per the National Institutes

of Health) are overweight or outright obese, and that more than 1/3 of America's

children are overweight, some seriously. Many studies report a great increase

in NIDDM among younger people, and link this to the observed 50% increase in

childhood obesity in the last two decades.

Why are so many more children overweight? It is the usual diabetes answer: Diet

and Exercise. One generation played outdoor games, another shuttles between

television and the computer. One was never without a football, baseball, tennis

racket, maybe a hockey stick... And the other, to echo a recent Canadian report,

"has never been without a remote control in its hand." People don't

move as much as they used to. One report states the average American child spends

24 hours a week watching television; "Time that could be spent in physical

activity," according to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and

Kidney Diseases.

And there's Diet. As more Americans make "convenience foods" (what

we used to correctly call "junk food") a significant part of their

diet, we gain weight accordingly. We eat "til we're full," and is

it any wonder our children do the same?

What to do? First, be a role model. If your children see you active and having

fun, they'll want to emulate you. You can't be a couch potato, and expect, or

honestly ask, your children to be physically active. Do your family activities

include exercise, or do they mostly consist of evenings channel-surfing? Remember,

you can probably use the exercise too.

Second, cut way down on the junk food, and work on healthy portion sizes. Your

doctor can help you find a dietitian, who'll work with you on healthy diet and

sensible amounts. More is not necessarily better, and your children are watching

how you eat. Again, you'll help yourself too.

Third, never forget the power of praise. When your children find a positive

example, a parent, an athlete, or perhaps a favorite actor, agree, and then

make that the time to talk about "how they look so good." Children

need to learn that fitness is not granted, it is achieved -- and that they can

achieve it, if they put in the work.

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