Most national newspapers focused on the case of the three-year-old child who died of heart failure brought on by obesity. But in many ways that's a red herring to the real issues at stake.
Junk food, attention deficit disorder, asthma and diabetes are now part of everyday life for many young people. A US study of teens with what used to be called adult-onset diabetes but is now known as Type II - because it is no longer confined to adults - found that half the new cases of diabetes are Type II.
The American Center for Disease Control predicts that one in three children will eventually become diabetic. Obesity, bad diet and lack of exercise are the culprits, with TV, video games, ubiquitous fast-food restaurants and divorce in families contributing to the cycle of stress and unhealthy eating habits.
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