Kids of Type 2 Parents Should Get Tested-They May Have Early Stages of Type 2 Diabetes

Researchers at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans have discovered the earliest predictors of type 2 diabetes yet to be recorded.

According to a study published in the November 15, 1996 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, the children of people with type 2 diabetes (average age of 15) were found to have significantly higher measures of body fat and blood pressure than normal. They also had much higher fasting levels of glucose, insulin and glucagon. Insulin-to-C-peptide ratios and triglycerides were significantly higher as well.

The results of this study show that several abnormalities are evident in these children long before the onset of the disease. While it has been known for some time that diabetes has a strong familial component, the results of this study give people with type 2 more reason to have their children checked for these early warning signs.

The sooner a high-risk individual is identified, the sooner he or she (with the family and doctor) can learn about the condition and prevent its development.

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