Boston

In March, The New England Journal of Medicine published another in a series of studies linking obesity to type 2 diabetes. This time, however, the subjects were 167 obese children and adolescents from multiethnic backgrounds.

Thirty minutes after undergoing a two-hour glucose-tolerance test, one quarter of the 55 obese children tested — and 21 percent of the 122 obese adolescents tested — showed signs of impaired glucose tolerance, according to lead author Ranjana Sinha. Additionally, 4 percent of the obese adolescents exhibited silent type 2 diabetes, which means they already had the disease, but exhibited no obvious symptoms.

In light of these findings, Sinha concluded that “impaired glucose tolerance is highly prevalent among children and adolescents with severe obesity, irrespective of ethnic group.”

To learn more about this study, go to http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/346/11/802.

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