World Diabetes Day on 14 November focuses this year on childhood obesity and draws attention to the link between diabetes and obesity.

Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 22 million children under five years old are obese or overweight, and more than 17 million of them are in developing countries. Each of these children is at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes* (which used to be known as mature-onset diabetes).

The link between obesity and diabetes is well-established. Around 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes and of these the vast majority are overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are known to increase the risk of many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
 WHO press release
 World Diabetes Day website

* Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. People who have type 1 diabetes produce very little or no insulin and require daily injections of insulin to survive. People with type 2 diabetes cannot use insulin effectively. They can sometimes manage their condition with lifestyle measures alone, but oral drugs are often required and, less frequently insulin, in order to achieve good metabolic control. Type 2 diabetes used to be known as non-insulin dependent diabetes or mature onset diabetes.