Diabetes! Why Must So Many Children Suffer?

Diabetes, the body's inability to metabolize sugar properly, is something that most people have to just live with for the rest of their lives. You can control it, of course, with proper diet and by taking medication. But the fact that an increasing number of young children and adolescents are prone to it nowadays is a cause for concern.

It is not surprising that with the increase in the number of overweight children and growing obesity problems diabetes too is growing proportionately. Lesser physical activity among children Children these days is also creating health problems.

Physical Inactivity, Extra pounds and Stress

Being overweight doesn't help. The extra burden those extra pounds put on your body weaken its response and ability to handle stress. And this kind of stress increases manifold, especially when your body is still growing, and is yet to achieve full size.

These extra pounds come from a life of physical inactivity in children, too much time sitting at the computer and at meals is taking its toll in increased weight. Children's bodies, already hampered by excess weight, have no way, therefore, to cope with their diets, rich in fat and sugar. Very simply put, the body cannot metabolize, or burn, these high levels of fat and sugar, causing an imbalance that leads to diabetes in so many children.

You are what you eat

In today's fast paced world, more and more families rely on easy to cook, processed foods that have a high fat and sugar content. In the past, our diets contained wholesome and nutritious foods like fresh fruits and vegetables.

This can place a tremendous pressure on the body. Like the camel who can take only so many straws, the body can, and will tolerate many elements of stress. But like the camel with the last straw that broke his back, too many stresses interfere with the normal functioning of vital organs, the liver and pancreas. The result -- disease, maybe even partial or total dysfunction.

Would you really want to damage something so inherently part of your nature?

Children will be children, of course, and they can make poor health choices by eating the wrong foods. But isn't it really up to families to encourage and incorporate a healthy lifestyle at home? And when they don't, children are more likely to fall prey to health problems and are more prone to diabetes.

At the end of the day, everyone in the family needs to pull together as one team on the same side -- the side that keeps illnesses like diabetes and other unhealthy issues at bay.

Most people groan and moan at the thought of healthy living. But it doesn't'thave to be such a grind. Physical exercise can be fun when done together as a group. Family members can take turns in coming up with new and interesting, but healthy recipes to cook every day. Slowly but surely, the benefits of healthy living will rub off on everyone.