Teenage 'obesity epidemic' blamed for diabetes jump

An "obesity epidemic" is behind the rise in people with diabetes, with teenagers increasingly being affected with the disease, a health professor says.

Murray Tilyard, professor of general practice at Otago University and executive director of South Link Health, blamed obesity for Type 2 diabetes becoming more common and harder to treat, especially amongst the young.

Prof Tilyard made his comments as a new resource kit for Type 2 diabetes was launched in Bluff today.

The kit -- developed by Pharmac with the support of Diabetes New Zealand -- will provide tools for health professionals and people with diabetes to use together.

"Of the patients enrolled at South Link Health, we have 16,000 with Type 2 diabetes and 94 per cent of those people are obese," Prof Tilyard said.

With medication an improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol levels and even blood sugar levels could be made, he said. "But obesity is the underlying problem and if this doesn't change then, in terms of treatment, our hands are tied."

Type 2 diabetes affected 90 per cent of the estimated 115,000 diabetic New Zealanders, with obesity almost always the cause, he said.

The impact of obesity on Type 2 diabetes could be seen nationwide, Prof Tilyard said.

"It is one of the top five health problems in the country. But obese people who develop Type 2 diabetes could really help themselves by losing weight.

"This disease is preventable and to see so many thousands of New Zealanders struck down by it is really frustrating."

One of the most worrying trends driven by the obesity epidemic was the number of teenagers now suffering from Type 2 diabetes, Prof Tilyard said.

"Type 2 diabetes was an age-related obesity problem that affected people in their 50s and 60s, but now we are seeing more and more overweight teenagers with this disease."

Diabetes can lead to heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and loss of sexual function for men.

While health professionals had effective treatments to help with Type 2 diabetes for many people the cure was in their own hands in terms of eating and exercise habits.

- NZPA