HONOLULU (AP) - A 10-year diabetes study finds that Asian and Pacific islander children in the United States have higher rates of diabetes than children in many Asian countries.

The University of Hawaii's Dr. Beatriz Rodriguez says researchers found data indicating higher rates of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes was expected to be more common in American children because the disease is closely linked to obesity.

But the causes of type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder involving the pancreas that requires patients to take insulin, are less clear.

Rodriguez suspects a

combination of infections at birth, toxins and early cessation of breast-feeding are responsible.

Rodriguez is the principal investigator at Hawaii's SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study site, one of six sites nationwide.