TT Children getting diabetes before parents

PRESIDENT of the Diabetes Association of TT Andrew Dhanoo says younger people were developing diabetes, some before their parents.

He was speaking on Wednesday as a Joint Select Committee (JSC) on childhood obesity met with officials of the Diabetes Association as well as officials from the Sport and Agriculture ministries and the National Parent Teacher Association.

He said excess body fat is one of the primary determinants of diabetes development, and obesity reduction tactics have been at the centre of the association's initiatives.

He warned, "The Diabetes Association has noticed a shift towards younger and younger persons being diagnosed with diabetes."

As a result, he said, the previous recommendation ofscreening at 45 "is no longer acceptable and we are now seeing persons under the age of 30 being diagnosed with diabetes type 2. We have seen that far more children in schools show indicators of pre-diabetes."

Dhanoo said besides being overweight, about 50 per cent of the population in schools were overweight, and other indicators of diabetes risk were more apparent such as children being seen with acanthosis nigricans, a dark discolouration of the neck.

"The Diabetes Association believes that significant changes in the landscape in schools as it relates to healthy environment should be adopted sooner rather than later. We are now seeing children developing diabetes and other lifestyle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) before their parents in some cases. It's a notion that's accepted by many health professionals that for the first time in human history we are now seeing children who may die before their parents from NCDs."