Prediabetes — a condition wherein blood sugar levels are elevated, but not high enough to warrant a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.

Children are more likely to get Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas doesn’t produce much insulin.

Type 2 diabetes develops over years and has been linked to obesity. In Type 2, the body becomes less responsive to insulin, which the body needs to balance glucose in the bloodstream.

Now the alarming stats:

• Nearly a quarter of young adults and a fifth of adolescents in the United States have prediabetes, according to a study published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
• Roughly a third of adults — or 84 million Americans — have prediabetes, according to the CDC. Nine in 10 don’t know they have it.
• Those with prediabetes had higher systolic blood pressure, more fat tissue around the abdomen, and higher non-HDL cholesterol

Takeaway: Be aware and take action against the growing obesity epidemic in our children.