Adult diabetes epidemic may loom as childhood obesity increases

Increased childhood obesity in the United States may result in an epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the coming decades, according to a University of Michigan researcher. (Source: “Kids' Obesity May Lead to Epidemic of Adult Diabetes,” Yahoo! News, July 8, 2008)

"The full impact of the childhood obesity epidemic has yet to be seen, because it can take up to 10 years or longer for obese individuals to develop type 2 diabetes. Children who are obese today are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes as young adults," Dr. Joyce Lee, a pediatric endocrinologist at the university's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, said in a prepared statement.