Diabetes - Puberty Link
Healthy teenagers grow resistant to insulin in much the same way as people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study done at UAB and the University of Southern California. At the onset of puberty, cells in children's bodies grow less responsive to insulin, as reported in the November issue of Diabetes. The findings could aid physicians in the prevention of type 2 diabetes, an increasingly common health problem among young adults. "In most teens, insulin resistance disappears after the end of puberty, and normal metabolism resumes," says Barbara Gower, Ph.D., UAB assistant professor of nutrition sciences. "But we speculate that in others, prolonged insulin resistance and associated stress on the pancreas ultimately lead to the development of type 2 diabetes."
Contact Bob Shepard, Media Relations, 205-934-8934 or [email protected].
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