In an article by Iltalehti, Hanna Riekki, MD and researcher at the TamCAM Research Center, highlights the seriousness of this trend and its impact on children’s health.
The study, conducted by Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland, included 602 children aged 6–16 years who were assessed for obesity over a 17-year period. Strikingly, more than one-third had prediabetes, and over 1% were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
A control group of 483 mostly normal-weight children showed 7% prevalence of prediabetes, with no cases of type 2 diabetes. According to Riekki, the most surprising finding was how much prediabetes increased over time, regardless of the degree of obesity.
This underscores the importance of early prevention and promoting healthy lifestyles from childhood.