Latino parents should think twice before praising their child for being an adorable gordito, because as a new study released today shows, almost a quarter of American teens has prediabetes or diabetes – primarily due to being overweight or obese.

A new study published today in the June 2012 issue of Pediatrics examined nearly 3,400 adolescents aged 12 to 19 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (using data from 1999-2008) and found that diabetes and prediabetes has shot up to 21 percent among teens. That’s a significant spike from 9 percent just a decade ago.

Researchers examined the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among US adolescents and discovered that a solid 34 percent of US adolescents were overweight or obese and were at increased risk for cardiovascular disease risk factors such as diabetes and prediabetes. Teen rates of abnormal cholesterol and hypertension remained unchanged. Hispanic youth accounted for 16 percent of the study subjects examined and the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes among that category mirrored general uptick in percentages.

“These findings are very concerning, especially because we found that all overweight and obese youth are at risk for one or more cardiovascular disease risk factors,” said lead author Ashleigh May, an epidemiologist affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the full story at NBC Latino