About one-third of children and adolescents in the USA weigh too much, putting them at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and other health problems.

Recently, type 2 diabetes has increasingly been reported in children and adolescents, so much so that in some parts of the world type 2 diabetes has become the main type of diabetes in children.

But there are no published studies on thiazolidinediones for treatment of type 2 diabetes in youth, and the drugs have substantial side effects, especially weight gain.