Sugar Babies
Why are so many kids being diagnosed with diabetes?
2014 | Running Time: 57 minutes | Rating: NR
Filmmaker Jenny Mackenzie’s four-year-old daughter was the 3rd generation in her family to be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. A decade after the diagnosis, Mackenzie sets out to explore the spiraling epidemics of Type 1 and 2 diabetes in children. Type 1 diabetes is an ancient autoimmune disease, known for thousands of years. It cannot be cured, and until the discovery of insulin in 1922, it was fatal. Type 2 diabetes, the “lifestyle disease,” was rarely diagnosed in children until the last quarter of the 20th century. Now it is seen in younger and younger children as a result of high-sugar diets and sedentary lifestyles. SUGAR BABIES explains what’s at stake and solutions within reach. The documentary has screened widely at film festivals, conferences, public libraries and universities. Director/Producer: Jennifer Mackenzie; Writers: James S. Hirsch, Elizabeth Diggs; Executive Producer: Geralyn White Dreyfous