Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. Teens Has Diabetes or Prediabetes

From Time News Feed

In less than a decade, the proportion of kids ages 12 to 19 with diabetes or prediabetes has jumped from 9% in 1999-2000 to 23% in 2007-2008.

Cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death among U.S. adults, often leading to stroke and heart attacks. While heart attacks and strokes typically don’t occur until adulthood, CDC researchers found that in many cases, the 3,400 teens studied had an alarming number of cardiovascular risk factors. Most unnerving was the conclusion that 37% of normal-weight teens had at least one risk factor. “I was a little surprised given they are at normal weight,” says Ashleigh May, a CDC epidemiologist and the study’s lead author. “It just speaks to the fact that we have to promote health and wellness for all youth and not just those we know are overweight or obese.”

Millie; Everyone thinks of refined sugars when they think of diabetes but it’s an over abundance of ALL carbs that cause the condition; grains, fruit, high carb veggies (white potatoes, carrots) and fruit juice. Too many carbs, not near enough healthy saturated fats, inactivity…all of these things contribute to diabetes.