Childhood Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and What to Say

Obesity in children is becoming pandemic and with obesity comes Type 2 Diabetes and its sequellae. I saw a post today about and Eagle Scout who apparently chose as his Scout project to develop a presentation on Diabetes but the person seems to have maintained what appears to be the morbid obesity that was the apparent cause of the Type 2 Diabetes. The problem is the excess fat in his cells will continue the inflammatory response and thus despite chemical attempts to increase insulin effectivness he will have the sequellae most likely.

However I suspect he should help himself first by shedding the weight. I felt that the article missed the opportunity to bring out the point about obesity and the nexus to Type 2 Diabetes. Just adding metformin is not a cure.  It is a crutch which will lead back to insulin and then oftentimes to end stage renal disease, heart problems, circulatory problems, neurological problems and the list continues.

Now the Scout Oath is:

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

As a Scout, father of an Eagle Scout and Grandfather to several Scouts,  part of the oath is being physically strong, namely respecting one's body. That means eating moderately and keeping the body in reasonable shape. Morbid Obesity is most likely not physically strong in the broadest sense.

My old Scout Troop, 1954, Staten Island, before Jersey Shore crowds came around, the diets and physical exercise made certain that morbid obesity and Type 2 Diabetes were unheard of. Perhaps they should stress the Scout Oath, especially for Eagle Scouts!