The number of pre-diabetic teens has skyrocketed in recent years, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics. Nearly one of every four 12-to 19-year-olds are on their way to developing the disorder, jumping from nine percent of the adolescent population in 2000 to 23 percent in 2008.

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"To get ahead of the problem, we have to be incredibly aggressive and look at children and adolescents and say you have to make time for physical activity," said pediatric endocrinologist Larry Deeb, former president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, as reported in USA Today.

"Diabetes progresses much more rapidly in young people and it brings with it all kinds of health risks," says Don Ochs, inventor of Mobanu Integrated Weight Loss Solution.  "Teenagers need to push away from the computers and gaming devices and get outside and walk, run, swim and move around.  Ten years ago, the number of pre-diabetic and diabetic teenagers was less than one in 10."

"Weight loss is a challenge no matter what your age is, but teens don't have decades of ingrained bad habits to overcome," said Ochs.  "Weight-loss methods that are lifestyle changes rather than short-term diets or fad eating plans will be the most effective for this age group."

The report also found that half of overweight teens and almost two-thirds of obese adolescents have one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high levels of bad cholesterol.  When these risk factors are present in young people, the problems are more likely to persist into adulthood.

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