Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
According to a new report from the US Public Health Agency, the rate of type 2 diabetes in Americans under the age of 20 could increase eightfold by 2060.
In the United States, type 2 diabetes is a real public health problem, which does not spare the youngest. Indeed, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health (CDC), the number of Americans under the age of 20 with type 1 and 2 diabetes could explode by 2060.
A dramatic increase in the number of cases
According to the researchers, two trends will materialize:
- The first is that the United States should expect an almost 700% increase in type 2 diabetes (linked to obesity and lack of exercise) in people under 20;
- The second is that the rate of type 1 diabetes, the most common form among younger people, could also soar by 65% over the next 40 years.
Childhood obesity in question?
This spectacular increase is mainly due to the sharp increase in childhood obesity in the United States and the increase in pregnancies among diabetic women (gestational diabetes increasing the risk of diabetes in children).
In the United States, the number of obese children has tripled over the past three decades.
“This new research should serve as a wake-up call for all of us.“, recalls in this regard Dr. Debra Houry, acting principal deputy director of the CDC, in a press release . “It is vital that we focus our efforts to ensure that all Americans, especially our young people, are as healthy as possible..”
Young people with diabetes are indeed exposed to a multitude of health problems, including heart, vascular, eye, kidney and nerve damage.
People with diabetes are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke, kidney and nerve complications and premature death. Researchers are actively studying ways to prevent type 1 diabetes. Studies in adults have identified steps that can be taken to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes (particularly through diet and nutrition). physical activity).
In France, despite stabilization since 2006, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is high: 17% of children aged 6 to 17 were overweight, including 3.9% in a situation of obesity in 2015.