PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – America is facing an obesity epidemic, and many of those affected are children.
"It's truly shocking and troubling to see what effect poor eating and exercise habits are having on children," said Dr. William Charlton, a pediatric endocrinologist with Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.
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Charlton started off the weekly Local 10 health Web chat on Monday morning with an explanation of his specialty.
"We take care of children with problems involving, growth, thyroid, pubertal development, diabetes and other metabolic disturbances," Charlton said.
Charlton said the obesity epidemic is leading to a dramatic rise in the number of kids with type 2 diabetes.
"We used to refer to this as adult onset diabetes, but unfortunately, that moniker no longer fits," Charlton said.
Primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes include family history and weight.
"Activity and diet have a direct connection with how well your body is able to control the level of sugar in your blood," he said.
Charlton said a key indicator of pre-diabetes is a darkening or thickening of skin at the back of the neck.
"Parents really need to watch out for high-fructose corn syrup and processed foods," said Charlton. "Whole fruit should be the only source of sugar, and parents need to incorporate more whole grains and vegetables into their kids diets."
Charlton said an increasing number of studies also show that kids who are raised on a vegetarian diet are healthier than those raised on animal protein products.
"Kids can get plenty of protein from grains, nuts and legumes," Charlton said.