Washington: Researchers have found that overweight and unfit children are at an increased risk of developing insulin resistance, an early symptom of diabetes, thus suggesting that improving fitness or reducing body fat could protect such high-risk children.
According to reports presented at the 43rd Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, insulin sensitivity is a measure of how well the body responds to insulin, a hormone that transports carbohydrates from the blood into cells where they are turned into energy. High insulin sensitivity means the body is responding well to insulin. Low insulin sensitivity - also called insulin resistance - is often a precursor to diabetes.
"This is the first study to look at these questions in a large group of adolescents that includes both blacks and whites and males and females," says lead author Bernard Gutin, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and physiology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.
The researchers found that race and gender were related to insulin sensitivity, which was highest among white girls and lowest among black girls. In addition, boys had higher cardiovascular fitness than girls, as well as lower percent body fat.
When the researchers controlled for race and gender, they found that higher cardiovascular fitness and lower body fat were independently associated with greater insulin sensitivity.
"This is an important finding because some people think that body fat is the critical factor in the development of diabetes," he says. "We found that it was certainly very important, but that even after adjusting for it, fitness still made an independent contribution."
The mystery of the early course of diabetes is getting a lot of attention now because the last two decades have seen an explosion in the number of teenagers with type 2 diabetes, a condition once called "adult-onset" diabetes because it was so rare in young people, he says.
Though insulin resistance is not diabetes, it is often a prelude to the disease, the researchers say.
In people with low insulin sensitivity, the body makes insulin but can't use it efficiently to break down glucose into energy, requiring a greater-than-average amount of insulin to transport an average amount of glucose.
Gutin says the study findings are important because they indicate that "every child can benefit from higher fitness and lower fatness."
Source: ANI (Asian News International)
Home - Table of Contents - Donate Now - About Diabetes - Warning Signs - Complications - Screening Test - Diabetes Terms - Site Search - Meet Mr. Diabetes® - Wake Up And Walk® Tour - Latest News - Headlines & News Stories - Health & Fitness - About Us - FAQ - Research Form - - Message Board - Privacy Policy - Legal Notices - How to Contact Us - Comments form - Suggestion Form - Our E-Mail Addresses - Our Address and Phone Numbers - Links - Contact Us