Preventing Obesity

Today, we live in an obesogenic environment: fast food, junk food, processed food and sweetened beverages, computers, television, instant messaging, and the supremacy of the car have made it easy to become overweight and obese. Over the last few decades, we have watched children and teens around the world get out of energy balance and have an excess intake of calories compared to calories burned in activities and daily living. And children with diabetes are at risk as much – or even more.

There have been countless reports of weight gain associated with intensive diabetes management in adults and children with type 1 diabetes, and at least 90% of adults and youth with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Excess weight is associated with insulin resistance, poorer diabetes control and perhaps a higher diabetes complication rate. So it is crucial that young people with diabetes adopt healthy lifestyle habits.

How does a child with diabetes establish a healthy weight? The answer is obvious – by eating nutrient-dense foods in appropriate quantities and by being physically active.

Ten simple steps to optimal health:

Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages (except to recover from hypoglycaemia) when you can drink water.
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day – at least 5 or more.
Control portion size.
Consume adequate fibre.
After age 2, consume diary products that are low or non-fat.
Reduce saturated fat and eliminate trans fats.
Be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day.
Reduce TV, computer, phone, electronic games to less than 2 hours every day.
Do not use food or playtime as a reward or punishment.
Do all these things as a family, a community, and as a society.

These ten simple steps are a good place to start, however much more can be done. Involve the healthcare team in achieving healthy weight, which might at times involve an alteration of the diabetes regimen. If we all do our part – in our homes, in our villages, in our workplaces, in our countries – we have the chance to reverse the worldwide obesity epidemic and improve the health of all of us.

Francine R Kaufman, M.D.