LONDON : Scientists from the UK and India have found that babies who are thin may have a higher risk of developing diabetes later in life.

According to a report in BBC, scientists say the problem seems to occur if they gain weight too quickly as they grow older. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, they urged doctors to monitor children's weight more carefully.

"It is the thin two-year-old not the fat one who faces the greater risk," said Professor David Barker of Southampton University . 

The number of people being diagnosed with diabetes around the world has rocketed in recent years. Globally, the figure is 150 million. This is expected to rise to 200 million by the end of the decade.

One of the countries with the biggest problems is India . In 2000, almost 25 million Indians had been diagnosed with diabetes. That is predicted to rise to 40 million by 2010. They traced nearly 1,500 residents of a community in South Delhi , who as children had taken part in a study looking at childhood growth more than 20 years ago.

The scientists found that more than 15 percent had high blood sugar levels, a major risk factor for diabetes. A further 4 percent had diabetes. The scientists discovered that people with these conditions generally had low birth weights and remained thin during infancy.

However, after the age of two they all started to gain weight rapidly. None was obese during childhood. However, their weight gain continued into adulthood and many became overweight or obese. The later in life the child began to gain weight the lower their risk of developing diabetes.

The scientists said the findings may explain why India, in particular, is seeing a sharp rise in the disease. In the past undernourished babies were born into poor families with limited access to food.

In recent years, the country and its people have become richer and many low weight babies are now born into families with a plentiful supply of food. This problem is compounded by the fact that youngsters, like those in many other countries, are less active than previous generations causing them to gain weight more quickly.