“Type 2 diabetes in children. Is it because my child is considered obese?”

I am not a pediatric endocrinologist but younger population is being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes due to poor eating habits, less active lifestyle (due to introduction of modern technology) and obesity. If your child is already obese, the recommendation is for the whole family to work with a nutritionist to change the type of food that is being brought into the house. The whole family should eat healthier so the child can learn better eating habits and lose weight.

Obese kids may also develop type 1 diabetes mellitus, take him to a pediatric endocrinologist to have a complete evaluation.

Weight interferes with insulin action and a sedentary lifestyle compounds the problem. Children who favor fast food, soft drinks and computer games rather than physical activity gain weight and lose control of their blood glucose. This is becoming a very big issue in our population.

T2DM in children is more common nowadays as we are seeing more pediatric patients with obesity. It is the same in children now, we did not see it before, given that children with obesity was rare

DM2 once was thought not to ever be present in children but it is increasing. 30% or more of our children now are overweight & that is causing "metabolic syndrome" followed by diabetes Type 2 if not controlled. In addition to obesity they also have a gene or genes they inherit for diabetes. You can't change the inheritance but you can control the environmental factors such as obesity and you must or the diabetes will get worse as the pancreas deteriorates due to the need in obesity due to insulin resistance. This overwork of the pancreas will cause it to wear out & decrease or stop making insulin. So control the obesity by diet & exercise (supervised) and take medication such as metformin to control BS & insulin secretion. DM2 in children is very similar to adults except they will have it longer & can thus cause more damage if not controlled. You'll have to work at it but if you do he can live a normal life span. I know of no other cause of DM2 than the inherited genes & environment combination. Work on it & teach him well so he can assume his own management when he is of an appropriate age.

It is getting much more common in children than type 1 because of obesity. This causes insulin resistance instead of lack of insulin as in type 1. Most can be managed with diet and exercise. Limit helping size, limit carbs in diet, and limit screen time. If it persists, it can need meds like metformin and sometimes insulin.

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic condition characterized by high blood sugars, insulin resistance, and, eventually, inadequate insulin secretion. Type 2 diabetes is therefore mostly driven by obesity, lack of physical activity, and unhealthy diet. As we get more obese, Type 2 diabetes also increases proportionally to the degree of obesity. It is the commonest form of diabetes in the adults population. Currently, as children become more obese, type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent. Though type 1 diabetes is more common in children, type 2 diabetes is catching up very fast. In some areas of America, type 2 diabetes in children is becoming more prevalent than type 1 diabetes due to more prevalence in obesity. In native Indians, children with type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1 diabetes. Type 2 is surpassing type 1 diabetes in Hispanic and black children in some areas of the united States. As the epidemic of obesity explodes (the tsunami of obesity), type 2 diabetes will be the most encountered metabolic disease very soon in both adults and children. To prevent type 2 diabetes, we need to prevent obesity, have regular physical activity, healthy diet, and maintain ideal weight. Once the prevalence of obesity is controlled, type 2 diabetes would be prevented better. Your son needs regular physical activity, weight loss, and a healthy diet. He needs to participate in regular sports activity and needs to see a nutritionist. He needs to lose weight, at least 10% of his body weight. It is important that he works closely with his diabetes educators and dietitians. The goal is weight loss, regular physical activity, and a healthy diet.
Good luck.