Diabetes NZ is sounding the alarm over a new and “very challenging” uptick in children with type 2 diabetes.

The charity has just finished its Diabetes Action Month, in an effort to get people at risk of the chronic metabolic disease to make an intervention for the sake of their own health.

But they’re warning that while people are aware young people can get type 1, they can also get type 2 – and it’s becoming more prevalent.

“It’s an intergenerational one, and this is a new condition which is very challenging because it’s very aggressive,” Diabetes NZ CEO Heather Verry told Newstalk ZB’s Real Life with John Cowan on Sunday night.

“Years ago, type 2 was something you saw in adults … [now] we’re seeing children at the age of 8 get it. People have commonly called type 2 ‘lifestyle [diabetes]’, that’s certainly not the case for an 8-year-old.

“Generally, what the evidence is showing is that the mother has type 2 diabetes and that has become genetic – that’s what we call ‘intergenerational’.”

While diabetic parents with poor diets may be contributing to their children’s likelihood of getting type 2 diabetes by passing their bad eating habits on, Verry told Cowan that’s not the entire story.

“It’s a combined thing; they [children with type 2] are not always the children that are the most overweight in the classroom by any means… it can be culture and lifestyle.”

The potential dangers of early onset type 2 diabetes are severe. Those with the condition are at greater risk of going blind, of having cardiovascular issues, renal disease, a stroke, or requiring a lower limb amputation.

“Unless it’s picked up really early and some intervention and supports [are] given to those kids, because it’s so aggressive, the chances are they could well end up being in the renal unit with kidney disease by the time they’re 18,” Verry warned.

“[Type 2] is the slowly moving one; you get pre-diabetes and then diabetes and then, if you don’t manage your diabetes, that’s when you lead to these complications.

“Of course, if you’re getting diabetes at 50, the chances of getting the complications are probably not quite so real as they are when you’re getting diabetes when you’re eight.”

While our health records show about 350,000 are diagnosed with diabetes, there are estimated to be about 1 million New Zealanders who are undiagnosed or have pre-diabetes, Verry told Real Life.

“I’m often asked to go and talk to different clubs like Lions Clubs and Rotary, and it’s always interesting how, when they start to ask questions, you start to figure out how many actually have got diabetes,” she said.

“I try and wake them up and say, ‘Are you aware you need to keep checking your feet? A small tiny sore on your foot could end up with you having a lower limb amputation and your life expectancy after that is not that long, it can be five years.’

“They react quite hard. They say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really serious’. And I say, ‘Yes, you do need to take it seriously. You can’t just pull the wool over your eyes and pretend it’s not there. You need to actually do something about it so you can lead a healthier life’.”

Verry says telltale signs of diabetes are being frequently thirsty, going to the toilet more regularly, feeling lethargic, and sometimes, unexpectedly losing weight.

She says New Zealand is tracking towards a much higher prevalence of diabetes in the future, especially given our population is ageing.

“We did a study some years ago with PwC in partnership with other organisations, and the results showed that the prevalence of diabetes type 2 was going to increase between 70-90% over 20 years,” Verry told Cowan.

“Since we’ve done that, the data is showing that we’re certainly sitting at the 90%. And this is a global issue, this is not just New Zealand – it does mean that countries have to take some really serious interventions.”

One of those interventions is being more conscious of food choices – which Verry acknowledges can be a hard thing to get on top of.

“Unfortunately, the type of foods that we’re indulging in – takeaways and processed foods – don’t help. Sometimes both parents are working, and it’s easier to go and get a bucket of KFC or fish and chips than making a healthy dinner with a lot of vegetables,” Verry told Real Life.

“Vegetables can be expensive, so that makes it a little harder, and I think people aren’t aware that potatoes and rice and white bread are actually sugar and they are what’s contributing towards this whole lifestyle.”

• Real Life is a weekly interview show where John Cowan speaks with prominent guests about their life, upbringing, and the way they see the world. Tune in Sundays from 7.30pm on Newstalk ZB or listen to the latest full interview here.