According to a study in a recent issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, more than 2.5 million American teenagers are estimated to have impaired fasting glucose, a condition where the body is insulin resistant and which is often a prelude to diabetes type 2. An additional 39,000 are thought to have diabetes type 2.

The cause for this alarming rise? Researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor believe that obesity may be the culprit. In a study reported in the February issue of Diabetes Care, it was reported that children who are obese have twice the risk of developing diabetes than those of normal weight.

In the past, type 2 diabetes was primarily seen in adults of middle age. This is the time when body weight often rises, and excess pounds contribute to problems with the body's production and use of insulin. But with today's epidemic of overweight and obese children, insulin problems - and type 2 diabetes - are becoming commonplace.