With nearly one-third of all US children ages 2 to 19 currently overweight or obese, childhood obesity has become an epidemic. Fortunately, this condition is preventable in many cases.

People with sleep apnea experience pauses in their breathing or shallow breaths while they sleep. In adults, the condition has been linked to diabetes and heart disease, but that link is less clear in younger people with sleep apnea.

Being overweight is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, which has been increasing in children and teens. But those already with diabetes still aren't active enough.

Teen obesity is a growing health problem. The percentage of US adolescents who are overweight has more than tripled over the last 20 years. One diabetes Rx may help teens lose weight.

A soaring increase in the number of teenagers suffering from diabetes means that more than a third of presumably healthy normal-weight adolescents are at risk of heart disease.

Insufficient and disorganized sleep puts kids at higher risk of developing obesity and other health conditions, which may be able to be mitigated by "catch up" sleep on weekends and holidays.