Obesity in Children May Lead to Large Adult Diabetes Patients

The current childhood obesity epidemic in the United States may lead to large numbers of young adults developing type 2 diabetes in the future, along with serious diabetes-related health complications, warns a University of Michigan researcher.

“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.