According to researchers, Type 1 diabetic children are generally overweight and are at high risk of developing serious health complications than those without the disease.
The finding is from a major study that discovered the weight problems faced by US youngsters with type 1 diabetes.
The links between type 2 diabetes and excess weight are well documented, but are less clear in type 1, said lead researcher Dr. Lenna Liu of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Knowing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and young people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes is very important as it helps us to identify those individuals — by age, gender or race/ethnicity — who face the greatest risk of the clinical complications associated with excess weight, Liu added.
The researchers collected data from almost 4,000 diabetic and more than 7,500 non-diabetic children and young people aged 3 to 19. The diabetic patients were divided based on gender and the group included various ethnic groups.
They found that overall, approximately one in eight (13 percent), of type 1 diabetes patients were obese. Also, 20 percent of the black type 1 diabetes patients were obese, while about 17 percent of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander patients were obese. White type 1 diabetes patients had the lowest rate of obesity at 11 percent.