Diabetes is an urgent issue for children and teens in the U.S.
Dreamstime/TNS
A child’s diet is important because it helps them grow, stay healthy and have the energy to play, learn and do the things they love. If you’re the parent or caregiver of a child with diabetes — or one who faces risks for the disease — you may feel especially concerned about what your child should and shouldn’t eat.
Do the low-carbohydrate diets sometimes touted as solutions really make sense for children and teens? Or are they a potential recipe for other health struggles?
Diabetes is an urgent health issue for children and teens in the U.S. From 2001 to 2017, the number of kids aged 20 and under with Type 1 diabetes rose 45%, while cases of Type 2 diabetes shot up an alarming 95%.
Concerns about diabetes in children go beyond the condition itself, since people with diabetes can suffer long-term health consequences, including heart disease, kidney disease, vision problems and life-threatening complications.
There is no cure for diabetes at present, and we can’t prevent all kids from getting it, especially those who face family risks for Type 1 diabetes. But we can keep many kids and adults from getting Type 2 diabetes, which often can be prevented through healthy lifestyle habits. We can also give kids with Type 1 diabetes the best possible chance to manage their blood sugar well and live active, healthy lives.
Good nutrition is essential in this fight to protect our kids’ health. The difficulty comes in defining exactly what “good nutrition” means, especially for growing bodies.
In recent years, some health care providers have suggested that low-carbohydrate diets — specifically, the ketogenic diet — can help children and teens who live with diabetes (or face serious risks of developing it). Many point to the diet’s effectiveness in helping some people achieve a healthy weight. But others aren’t sure that keto’s severe restrictions are the best solution, even for kids already living with diabetes.
Children in the U.S. get about 50% of their calories from carbohydrates, which tracks with accepted nutrition guidelines set by the U.S. Department of…