The statistics of young people developing what was once considered an adult disease is alarming. According to the Institute of Medicine, for children born in the United States in 2000, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is estimated at about 30 percent for boys and 40 percent for girls. Because type 2 dia- betes has become a disease with childhood or adult onset, it is now referred to as noninsulin-dependent diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is considered a preventable disease. The main difference between type I and type 2 is that type 2 diabetes is a reflection of a person’s lifelong dietary habits. People with type I diabetes generally have a genetic tendency to develop the disease even if there is not a family history of diabetes. Environmental conditions such as exposure to a virus can also trigger diabetes in susceptible individuals. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include a family history, age, and race. Family members of people with type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of developing the disease. Likewise, as one ages, the chances of developing type 2 increase. For uncertain reasons, African Americans, American Indians
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