Is shortening of telomeres the missing link between aging and the Type 2 Diabetes epidemic?

The world is facing an impending epidemic of diabetes [1]. Diabetes occurs in two forms - Type 1 and Type 2. These are separate entities, although they share an elevation of fasting plasma glucose (≥7.0 mM or 126 mg/dl) as the only required diagnostic criterion. The diabetes epidemic can be attributed to Type 2 Diabetes. Historically, Type 2 Diabetes has been a disease of the aged population. Recently, a drift in the incidence is observed, with younger individuals developing Type 2 Diabetes.