Influence of childhood obesity on the development of diabetes mellitus: An integrative review

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia, caused by defects in the secretion or action of insulin. DM is subdivided into two types, type 1 DM is directly linked to genetic factors, so its occurrence is very common during childhood, on the other hand, type 2 DM has a higher occurrence in adults, since it is related to environmental factors, such as obesity, generating insulin insufficiency. Nowadays, from the implementation of fast foods and the sedentary lifestyle, caused by technologies, the number of cases of childhood obesity has had a significant increase, thus, as a result of these acts, the occurrence of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus has increased among children. Objective: This article aims to carry out a literature analysis on the influence of childhood obesity on the development of Diabetes Mellitus. Methodology: this is an integrative literature review, carried out in the following databases: Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Web of Science and National Library of Medicine (PubMed/Medline), Google Scholar and Virtual Health Library (VHL). A total of 30 publications were identified, and 6 bibliographic references from the last 10 years were used. The exclusion criteria were non-pertinence to the theme, and articles prior to this period. The articles analyzed were selected according to the following descriptors: child, obesity, diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia. Results: considering the significant increase in cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus in childhood, measures are necessary to avoid this condition, for this, it is of paramount importance to make changes in children's lifestyle habits based on a healthy diet and physical activity. Conclusion: considering that the occurrence of DMin childhood can generate complications, such as retinopathy and neuropathy, it is important to prevent the occurrence of this condition