Can Metformin Help Kids at Puberty?
Clinical Trials Tuesday, February 5th, 2013Diabetes Forecast: January 1, 2013
Not so long ago, type 2 diabetes was known as “adult-onset diabetes,” because the disease was almost unknown in children. But type 2 is on the rise in children, particularly adolescents. “All kids who get type 2 diabetes are at least overweight, and usually obese,” says pediatrician Megan Kelsey.
There’s something else almost all of them have in common: They’ve all entered puberty. Kelsey, a doctor at the University of Colorado–Denver, is trying to figure out why—and how doctors might be able to prevent type 2 diabetes in teens.
She’s zeroed in on insulin—or, more precisely, insulin resistance—as a possible cause. With normal metabolism, every time people eat, insulin is released to help the body’s cells fuel themselves with glucose circulating in the bloodstream. At specific stages in life, though, insulin fulfills a different role: It signals the body to grow. During puberty and pregnancy, insulin that usually helps to process the glucose from the foods we eat is instead working to trigger the changes that go along with those phases of life.
The result amounts to a temporary bout of insulin resistance. Ordinarily, the body responds by making more insulin, enough to take care of daily metabolic needs and keep the body growing to boot. “In lean, healthy people, you would never notice,” Kelsey says. Read more
