|

Author:
Michael A. Smith, MD

Double Diabetes -- A New Phenomenon Placing Your Kids at Risk

In some medical circles it's called Type 3 Diabetes. Teenagers and young adults diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, if overweight or obese, can develop type 2 diabetes later in life. It's a double whammy and the medical consequences of such a diagnosis don't look good.

First, let's briefly cover the basics of diabetes.

Diabetes is Elevated Blood Glucose Levels

Higher than normal level of glucose in the blood is diabetes. Glucose is the main energy source for the brain and nerves and comes from digesting carbohydrates. Because of its importance as an energy source, glucose blood level is normally kept within a narrow range.

Two hormones help to keep glucose in this normal range. First, there is insulin. Insulin is released by the pancreas as glucose levels rise after a meal. It promotes the uptake of glucose by muscle cells. Second, is glucogon. This hormone causes the release of glucose out of energy stores during fasting. The insulin to glucogon ratio helps to stabilize the normal levels of blood glucose.

Two Types of Diabetes

In order to have consistently high blood glucose levels either insulin production and/or release from the pancreas is defective or the muscles don't respond to insulin when it is released.

Juvenile or Type 1 Diabetes -- Insulin production is defective. Most often detected early in life. These patients require insulin shots.

Adult Onset or Type 2 Diabetes -- The muscles don't respond to insulin. In this case, glucose stays within the blood and not in the tissues. The early stage is called Insulin Resistance. Type 2 is associated with being overweight or obese.

The Atypical Type of Diabetes -- Double Diabetes or Type 3

A young man who has type I diabetes, if he does not follow a proper diabetic diet and an exercise program, could develop type 2 diabetes on top of his type I diagnosis.

This is a fear turned into reality for many type I diabetics and their families. The Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh states that 25% of children with type I diabetes are showing features of type 2. The main feature shared by all of these children...obesity. Dr. Dorothy Becker, a pediatric endocrinologist and leading double-diabetes researcher, feels the numbers will continue to climb.

And an ongoing study to determine the best treatment for children with type 2 diabetes is also uncovering many kids who harbor antibodies that signal they have or are developing the type 1 form.

No matter which type of diabetes came first in a child, it makes treatment that much harder for everyone involved. So what is the best treatment?

Treating Type 3 Diabetes

The best treatment for type 3 diabetes is prevention. Children, with or without diabetes, must exercise. Toning and building muscle tissue is the only effective way to protect against type 3 diabetes.

Strong muscles are metabolic active and able to uptake glucose as expected when insulin is released into the blood. Parents, start a supervised and doctor approved workout program with your children. Something tells me that we may need a strong future.

To Healthy Living!

Michael A. Smith, MD

Chief Medical Consultant

Diet Basics Website

About the Author
Dr. Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a content rich website on weight loss dedicated to the online dieter. Visit his site at, www.weight-loss-professional.com.

| Translate/Traduisez/Übersetzen Sie/Traduzca/Traduca/Traduza: Article Keywords: Diabetes Guides

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Diabetes Guides... What You Don't Know About Diabetes May Kill You In the past few years, cases of diabetes have skyrocketed to a staggering 16 million. One of the biggest problems that has been realized by the nation's doctors is that Americans know shockingly little about the disease or the importance of early detection. A lot of these cases, actually could have been prevented. Dr. Curtis Harris, an Okalahoma physician, says "the vast majority of people living with the disease have type II". A disease that is often an overlooked killer. He went on to say "In fact if you look worldwide, the major killer of adults is diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They go hand in hand." There are two types of diabetes, type one diabetes and type two diabetes. People with type I diabetes generally have a total lack of insulin, while people with type II diabetes generally have too little insulin or can not use insulin effectively. Without insulin, the body can't absorb sugar, or glucose, which cells need to produce energy. How are the two types of diabetes different? Type II diabetes usually starts in young adulthood, while type I diabetes is usually detected much earlier. With type II diabetes, no episodes of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar level unless taking insulin or other diabetes medications cannot be prevented. In fact it can be prevented or delayed by living with a healthy lifestyle including maintaining a healthy body weight, eating sensibly, and exercising regularly. How are they alike? Both types of diabetes greatly increase a person's risks of a range of serious complications. Although monitoring and management can usually prevent most complications. Diabetes remains the leading cause of blindness and kidney failure. It also continues to be a critical risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and foot or leg amputations. Here...