Diet blamed after obese girl (3) is diagnosed with Type 2 illness

The case of a three-year-old girl in the US who developed type 2 diabetes has driven doctors to raise fresh concerns about diet in childhood.

The youngster from Texas, US, who has not been identified, was admitted to an obeisty clinic after suffering from extreme thirst and urination, the first signs of the disease.

According to the Telegraph, both the girl’s parents are obese and it was revealed she had been “consistently fed foods that were high in fat and sugar”.

However she tested negative for antibodies that could signal type 1 diabetes.

Dr Yafi said he had successfully treated the Hispanic girl over the past six months with the drug Metformin to control her blood sugar levels, a low calorie diet and regular weight loss.

Dr Michael Yafi, from the department of paediatric endocrinology at the University of Texas, Houston, presented his findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference in Stockholm.

“The incidence of T2DM [type 2 diabetes] has increased dramatically worldwide in children due to the epidemic of child obesity”.

After adjusting for certain parental influences as well as socioeconomic status, researchers discovered that no garden access was indeed linked to lower educated households and an increased risk of overweight or even obese children at the age of 7 by up to 38 percent. She weighed a little over 77 pounds (35 kilogram), placing her in the heaviest 5% of children in her age group.

Children aged three to five years old living in houses with no gardens area are more likely to suffer from obesity in the years that follow compared to children who enjoy the green living space.

The study suggests that, when considering overall costs of healthcare, obese patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those with recent disease onset, should be prioritised for obesity surgery over those without type 2 diabetes, since many patients see a reversal of diabetes after surgery and thus need fewer expensive diabetes medications or treatment for complications in future.

Young children who have no access to a garden are at a greater risk of becoming overweight or obese by age of seven, claims a new study. These findings are instrumental in looking for more ways to prevent risk of getting type 2 diabetes at the earliest stage possible. Diabetes and nutritional education were given to her parents, and the medical team asked the family to implement lifestyle modification by controlling their food portions and total calorie intake, and increasing the child’s physical activity. Her blood glucose levels had returned to normal and she no longer had type 2 diabetes.