Children as young as seven are developing type two diabetes!

Children as young as seven are developing diabetes caused by obesity.

Doctors are reporting a surge in cases of type 2 diabetes – triggered by poor diet and sedentary lifestyle – in the under 18s, whereas 15 years ago it was unheard of.

Alarmingly, the illness appears to be far more aggressive in children than in adults, causing serious complications much earlier.

By the time they have reached their early teens, a number have suffered damage to their eyes and kidneys and are expected to have heart attacks in their 20s.

According to NHS figures, 1,295 children under 18 have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, including 83 below the age of nine.

The illness most commonly occurs in the over 40s, and prior to the year 2000 no case had ever been recorded in the under-18s.

But academics and doctors say there has been a ‘frightening’ increase due to obesity, sugar-laden diets and a lack of exercise.

More on this story here. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2844867/Obesity-epidemic-sees-children-young-seven-diabetes-Poor-diet-lack-exercise-leaves-generation-facing-heart-attacks-TWENTIES.html

Scary statistics there Eddie. Generation of Coco Pop kids unfortunately !

If this carries on then we're sadly going to have a generation of kids that are going to be outlived by their parents
Kids are definitely more sedentary too as I went into Halfords this morning to order my daughters new bikes for christmas and in my day the bike department was packed at this time of year with kids and parents choosing a new bike but today the place was literally dead and the staff member told me I could have the bikes built fairly quickly as their diary was pretty empty! It looks like xmas presents that keep kids active have fallen out of favour.

This is very scary and unfortunately indictative of our so called modern living. Call me old fashioned, but life has changed, food has changed, family living has changed. These changes are not always for the best.

Fewer children are out and about - many choosing computer games over a game of football, a swim or a walk.

I don't think as many families these days go out together for a Sunday Walk, picnic etc. With mounting outside pressures at work, trying to manage money, in fact just managing to get on with life has resulted in less family time shared. Indeed family life has changed ...but I guess we have to do the best we can.

Food today - many families find it hard to get away from the colourful boxes of cereals, foods that have hidden sugars, high fructose corn syrup etc.

Peer pressure from friends at school doesn't always help.

What is the solution? Well of course a LCHF lifestyle does help

But in many cases it goes beyond this and the solution for many may not be that simple?

All the best Jan

Sadly kids associate sweet things and treats with reward from a very early age. Nowadays, there is just more of it around, more choice. I was with my sister and her grandchild ( 1 ) at the weekend and she was being drip fed white chocolate buttons ! I don't think for a minute people shouldn't treat their kids but it just seems more prevalent now. Kids are bigger too, I once read a study from The States which basically said growth hormones had got into the food chain. Fed to cattle and ended up in burgers etc.

my little one was obese from birth pretty much, she has always eaten so very well and never lost it, it breaks my heart, she never been allowed what "normal" kid have, for exmple my 13/14 year old birthday meal tonight was a pizza from dominos, she believes shes allergic to pizza so myself and her didnt have the pizza but i am heart broken by it tonight, my wife was once lectured by a checout dude in asda for letting her get fat, she arrived home in tears, she wouldnt describe him or let me go find him but that was in hindsight a good thing because i would have killed him where he sat, sorry i know this is off topic kinda as her issues are genetic, but although im not sure they are right she was diagnosed as type 2 at 2 years old and we have been told she will be type 1 someday, what will be in her future? i can only worry

everyone looks at us like we are bad parents they wouldnt say it to me for obvious reasons but i know they think it

shes very happy and lovely kid on saying that, and after spending the amount of time we have in gosh and uchl we know how lucky she/we are

Andy we know what a broken metabolism can do, unfortunately many medics are clueless let alone the average Joe. Graham eats well over 1000 calories a day more than me. He is as slim as a whip, we are both active but If I ate what he eats I would be back to being very heavily over weight.

We just have to keep working away, educating the great unwashed.

Andy - I've been looked upon as a bad parent too. When my son was 3 we were in a shop and the assistant spoke to him. He didn't answer because she had her hand in front of her mouth. I answered her question and spoke to him and he nodded to her. As we walked out I heard her saying that he was really bad mannered and that we weren't bringing him up properly. He was deaf, waiting for an operation. She didn't listen to me when I said "He can't hear you". It's horrid when your child is suffering and you can't do a thing to help.

Andy12345 wrote:my little one was obese from birth pretty much, she has always eaten so very well and never lost it, it breaks my heart, she never been allowed what "normal" kid have, for exmple my 13/14 year old birthday meal tonight was a pizza from dominos, she believes shes allergic to pizza so myself and her didnt have the pizza but i am heart broken by it tonight, my wife was once lectured by a checout dude in asda for letting her get fat, she arrived home in tears, she wouldnt describe him or let me go find him but that was in hindsight a good thing because i would have killed him where he sat, sorry i know this is off topic kinda as her issues are genetic, but although im not sure they are right she was diagnosed as type 2 at 2 years old and we have been told she will be type 1 someday, what will be in her future? i can only worry

everyone looks at us like we are bad parents they wouldnt say it to me for obvious reasons but i know they think it

shes very happy and lovely kid on saying that, and after spending the amount of time we have in gosh and uchl we know how lucky she/we are

If she has your strength of character Andy she'll cope amazingly well. Kids are amazing and often deal with things better than adults :-)

agreed mate, kids are amazing.......but not about my character lol