Type 2 Diabetes - The Rise of Diabetes In Teenagers
With well over 200,000 teens being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes each year, the problem has grown into a really serious issue.
Helping teenagers to understand the mechanics behind Type 2 diabetes is a great start in helping them to learn to live with it.
Simply put, Type 1 diabetes is the failure of the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin, which is the key to properly processing sugar, or glucose.
In Type 2 diabetes, the body develops a condition called insulin resistance, where the organs themselves fight insulin from entering the cells and insulin is therefore not available to allow it to let the blood sugar in, and then the sugar remains in the blood.
A lot of the excess sugar in the bloodstream becomes converted and tucked away as cholesterol and triglycerides.
Excessive sugar and the subsequent rise in insulin are also what makes your teenager overweight.
Your teenager needs to understand while risk factors such as weight control and inactivity contribute to Type 2 diabetes there are some factors, like race and genetics, that can't be helped.
Your teen might be reluctant to take control of their health and may even resent you for trying to push them to do so.
Their desire to fit in with their friends is playing heavily on their mind.
The need for exercise, medication and dietary changes may not seem important.
To a teenager, these are all things that old people have to do...
not teenagers.
They need to know life threatening conditions can develop like kidney disease, heart disease and stroke.
Along with this can come complications such as blindness, neuropathy, and peripheral artery disease, a process which can cause discoloration, swelling and possibly the need for amputation of the affected limb.
They can avoid these complications by following their doctor's advice, and in fact, with lifestyle changes, they should be able to stop progression of the disease.
With proper management, blood sugar levels can return to normal.
Diabetic teenagers need to know:
In the end, the main issue for teenagers is they just want to fit in.
They want to be like their friends and Type 2 diabetes is a drastic step in making them stand out.
Giving them the information to keep their disease under control can help them to be as close to their perception of normal as possible.
Helping teenagers to understand the mechanics behind Type 2 diabetes is a great start in helping them to learn to live with it.
Simply put, Type 1 diabetes is the failure of the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin, which is the key to properly processing sugar, or glucose.
In Type 2 diabetes, the body develops a condition called insulin resistance, where the organs themselves fight insulin from entering the cells and insulin is therefore not available to allow it to let the blood sugar in, and then the sugar remains in the blood.
A lot of the excess sugar in the bloodstream becomes converted and tucked away as cholesterol and triglycerides.
Excessive sugar and the subsequent rise in insulin are also what makes your teenager overweight.
Your teenager needs to understand while risk factors such as weight control and inactivity contribute to Type 2 diabetes there are some factors, like race and genetics, that can't be helped.
Your teen might be reluctant to take control of their health and may even resent you for trying to push them to do so.
Their desire to fit in with their friends is playing heavily on their mind.
The need for exercise, medication and dietary changes may not seem important.
To a teenager, these are all things that old people have to do...
not teenagers.
They need to know life threatening conditions can develop like kidney disease, heart disease and stroke.
Along with this can come complications such as blindness, neuropathy, and peripheral artery disease, a process which can cause discoloration, swelling and possibly the need for amputation of the affected limb.
They can avoid these complications by following their doctor's advice, and in fact, with lifestyle changes, they should be able to stop progression of the disease.
With proper management, blood sugar levels can return to normal.
Diabetic teenagers need to know:
- unlike their friends, they are not able to consume large quantities of unhealthy snacks, sugary soft drinks and candy, or other unhealthy sweets anytime they wish.
- they also need to be aware of the importance of keeping their weight under control.
- the right amount of an appropriate type of exercise is also something many teens completely ignore.
In the end, the main issue for teenagers is they just want to fit in.
They want to be like their friends and Type 2 diabetes is a drastic step in making them stand out.
Giving them the information to keep their disease under control can help them to be as close to their perception of normal as possible.
