Obesity rates have been rising in the United States for years and this has made health problems rise with it, including diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, once considered an adult disease, has been rising in children for years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“A lot of people don’t think diabetes is a serious disease anymore,” said Katrina Springer, registered dietitian and nutritionist and clinical dietitian at Allen County Regional Hospital. However, regardless of medication, “having diabetes shortens lifespan by as much as 10 years,” Springer said.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are diseases that affect the pancreas, the organ that produces important enzymes and hormones that help break down food. Type 1 diabetes, sometimes called juvenile diabetes, is a disorder that causes the immune system to attack and destroy the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts sugar and starches into energy. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the body and damages other organs. There is no cure for type 1 diabetes, but it is manageable with medication and, often, insulin injections.
Type 2 diabetes is similar, in that the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to process glucose in the body, but instead of being caused by an immune disorder, it is often caused by long-term damage to the pancreas by poor diet and lack of exercise.
“Type 2 diabetes is all diet-caused,” Springer said. “You’ve bombarded yourself with so much sugar, the cells just can’t take it anymore.”
People who are diagnosed as prediabetic or glucose intolerant often think there’s nothing that can be done about it, but the condition is often completely reversible with diet and exercise, she said.
“You don’t see the immediate consequences of a poor diet,” Springer said. “You have to think long term.”
WHILE it is never too late to start eating healthier, it is easier and better to start as early as possible.
“It has to start in childhood because that’s when your habits are formed,” said Jacki Chase, registered nurse for USD 257.
Chase said she has seen more children in the area with insulin resistance, a precursor for type 2 diabetes, over the last 15 years. She said she suspected there were more, but it’s the parents’ decision to disclose medical issues to the school and many children who need medication take it at home.
Wendy Froggatte, registered nurse for USD 258, also said she sometimes did not find out a child had medical issues until it somehow interfered with school.
“It’s the parents’ prerogative to tell us,” she said.
Chase believed one of the reasons for the increase of obesity and the diseases it causes is because people eat more processed food than they did in previous generations.
“One of the best things parents can do is change students’ diet. Get rid of processed food,” she said. “I think people don’t realize what’s in a lot of those processed foods, as far as fat, salt, sugar, things that make us crave more.”
Froggatte agreed changes in diet were the key to fighting diseases like diabetes before they happen.
“Diabetes is always going to be an issue when you have minimal access to healthful foods,” she said.
New federal regulations effective today will help school lunches contain healthier options.
“All schools are supposed to follow regulations, but not all are taking it to the level that we are,” she said.
Froggatte said USD 258 was participating in the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a federal program that certifies schools that follow guidelines to make lunch and other aspects of school healthier for students. There are three levels of certification; bronze, silver and gold. Froggatte said their goal was to have all schools in the 258 distict achieve bronze certification this year. The criteria includes having a certain number of fruits and vegetables for breakfast and lunch, making sure at least half of all grains are whole grains, minimizing added sugar and sodium in foods, providing nutrition training for food prep staff and more. To qualify for silver, they have to pass bronze, and so on. The criteria for each level gets more detailed and strict.
Some students are opposed to the dietary changes, but Froggatte said they poll students and try to give them as much input in their choices of snacks and a la carte items as possible, while still keeping the options healthy.
Chase said there have been some complaints from students and parents alike that they won’t eat fruit or vegetables. Dietary changes are not always easy for some kids — at first.
“I’m seeing them adapt to it. It just takes time,” she said.
Making healthy choices cannot be left up to schools, however. Support at home with family and friends is key to making healthy lifestyle changes, Springer said.
“If I gave my kid a plate of spinach and didn’t have any myself, that isn’t fair,” she said.
Springer also tries to give her son options so he can choose which vegetables he likes, but if her son does not like a vegetable she makes for dinner, she asks that he takes one to three “thank you” bites.
Making healthier choices is not just about the food itself, but the habits people form around their food. Before changing her diet, Springer said she would often bake cookies or cakes with her son. It was something fun to do together and it helped them bond. As time went on, Springer said her son’s tastes changed. He used to have no trouble eating vegetables, but as his diet began to include more sweets and grains, he stopped eating vegetables because he found them too bitter. She is trying not to make the same mistake with her daughter.
THE REASONS behind the change in American diets to less and less healthy foods is complicated, but one of the big factors, Springer believes, stems from a failed attempt to eat healthier.
In the 1940s, Dr. Ancel Keys hypothesized the reason high-level businessmen in Minnesota had higher rates of heart disease was due to their diets. He presented a study on the dietary habits of seven nations that showed a correlation between high fat in food and heart disease. As a result, the American Heart Association recommended in 1956 that people should adopt a low-fat diet for their health.
There are a few problems with the study, Springer said. Namely, the fact the study originally involved 21 countries, but he threw out the data from the ones that did not fit his hypothesis.
“He actually pushed his own agenda,” Springer said.
Despite the fact some people objected to Keys’ research, the low-fat craze began and to this day people who wish to be healthy opt for low-fat options, first.
Another problem with this is how food manufacturers adapted. Fat adds rich flavor to foods and without it food just didn’t taste as good. They had to put flavor back in with another ingredient — sugar. Springer said if you compare any low-fat verison of a food with the regular kind you often find it contains more sugar.
“Sugar is highly addictive,” Springer said. “Studies have shown it’s as addictive as cocaine.”
After doing some research, Springer decided to adopt the Paleo Diet, which is rich in protein and vegetables and basically cuts out all sugar, including grains and most fruit. The first two or three weeks were rough, she said. They actually went through withdrawals.
Other factors joined in to make the obesity epidemic what it is today; government subsidies for corn to make corn syrup have made sugar cheap, which means it’s cost-effective to use more of it. This is one of the reasons why portion sizes have gotten bigger over the last few decades, particularly for junk food and soda. And yet, as Americans consumed more and more sugar, they were — and still are — told to watch their fat intake. Americans suffer from a lack of education and a lot of misinformation when it comes to nutrition.
“A lot of people don’t know what’s good to eat. A lot of people have been told wrong by well-meaning people, even doctors,” Springer said. “I do fear people are not taking care of themselves and the long-term ramifications are disastrous.”
Nutritional education is a complicated matter, not only because people have different needs and different tastes, but also because there is a lot of information to digest and the research keeps cooking. Americans are busy people, too. Predominently, both parents work and don’t have time to research nutrition. Springer recommended people try to speak with a nutritionist to find the right diet. Not only are they specialists in the field, but their job requires to stay on top of new information, which is something the average person does not have time for. Even if someone does decide to do their own research, it’s a good idea to speak to their doctor or a nutritionist in case of any health consequences they may not be aware of.
“If you do research and it sounds good, try it,” she said. “If it makes you feel good, go for it.”
