Diabetes has been a growing concern over the past couple of years. Now with more focus on children, as the number of kids with type 2 diabetes has increased over the years. There are a number of factors that contribute to developing diabetes. It can run in the family, but what will actually bring it on is your lifestyle, mainly your weight. Kids that are
overweight are at the highest risk, and seem to be the ones who are getting this disease.
There are ways to prevent diabetes in children, mainly keeping a healthy diet and staying active. Learning about diabetes, and it’s symptoms can be of great help for your child’s health. Catching it early on, and learning how to treat it will help you make the necessary changes your child needs to control it. But it is possible we can make small changes to prevent it altogether.
What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which your body cannot properly use or produce enough insulin. Another word for type 2 diabetes is non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A person’s body cannot move blood sugar into cells, which is why their blood sugar drops or rises unexpectedly, especially a long time before eating, or after eating.
What Causes Type 2 Diabetes?
Anyone can develop diabetes, but it is more likely to develop in those who are overweight or obese. Being obese increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes because it causes insulin resistance. Once your body becomes insulin resistant, your sugar levels become high, and you have a lower tolerance for glucose (sugar). Other risk factors include family history of parents having diabetes. Being Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Native American, or of Latin descent increases your risk factors of developing the disease.
Symptoms
If you can catch the symptoms early on, then you can help prevent the disease from getting worse. Signs to look for are:
- Frequent urination
- Unusual thirst
- Blurred vision
- Weakness
- Nausea
- Wounds taking a long time to heal
- Weight loss
- Frequent bladder infections
- Loss of feeling in hands or feet
Treatment
Lifestyle changes are very important in the treatment of diabetes. Weight management, changing your diet, and exercising are the best ways to treat type 2 diabetes, or any diabetes for that matter. It can help control the disease, and may even get rid of it. A doctor can prescribe insulin or medications that help your body with insulin balance. An important way to treat diabetes is knowing your glucose levels, which can be checked with a blood glucose monitor.
Prevention
A healthy weight is key to preventing a child from developing type 2 diabetes. As stated before, healthy meals are just as important, and exercising.
Over ten years ago, children having type 2 diabetes was almost unheard of. If we do not make changes, the number of kids developing diabetes will only continue to rise. Know the signs, and get your child treated as soona s possible if you suspect they have type 2 diabetes. Checkups are important especially if it runs in the family. Take the simple steps listed in order to prevent your child from getting diabetes. Give your children a healthy well balanced diet, and help them remain active. Go outside and enjoy a walk together, and promote physical activities to help them maintain ideal weight for their height. If your kid does have diabetes, knowing how to treat and control it is important for you and your child. Understanding the disease can help your kid recognize if their glucose levels are off before it worsens, take the necessary steps needed, and make better decisions for their health.
