Many children around the world are starving or undernourished. In contrast, obesity and type 2 diabetes in children are major problems in many countries. These contradicting nutritional crises strongly affect the way we care for children with diabetes and their families. Recent international guidelines on the care of children with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes recognize that effective nutritional management and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle can improve diabetes outcomes. Emphasis is placed on good glycaemic control to prevent blindness, kidney failure and early death – often associated with heart disease. In this article, the author describes the specific nutritional challenges in diabetes management that are unique to each country, region, family and child, and calls for individualized approaches to optimize care.
children, adolescents, nutrition, diet, physical exercise,