Warnings Of Diabetes Risk To Children If Mothers Are Overweight During Pregnancy

The leading charity Diabetes UK has stated that children born to pregnant women who develop gestational diabetes were six times more likely to develop type-2 diabetes themselves. Being overweight during pregnancy posed a risk to children of developing this serious condition.

Gestational diabetes is a form of the condition that can appear during pregnancy because of hormonal changes. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists along with the NHS both highlight how it affects up to one in five pregnancies and the risks are higher for obese women. It is estimated from a variety of sources that gestational diabetes affects between 5% and 18% of women but fortunately disappears after birth. This type of diabetes is also linked to premature birth, the possibility of a Caesarean section and raised blood pressure during pregnancy.

Most babies born to women with the condition will be healthy, but Diabetes UK has highlighted a recent study in a small number of teenagers, which showed that 31 per cent of those whose mothers had the condition during pregnancy, later developed either type 2 diabetes, or raised their glucose levels substantially posing a warning signal to the development of the condition. Exercising and making immediate and significant changes to lifestyle during pregnancy reduced the incidence of developing gestational diabetes. The idea of ‘eating for two’ also appears to be misguided on the basis of the research.

The other risk factors mentioned in the study included being over 25, giving birth to a baby that weighed more than 4.5 kg and being diabetic in a previous pregnancy. Having an African, South Asian or Middle Eastern heritage were also cited as risk factors.

References

Poston, L. (2015), Do physical activity interventions prevent gestational diabetes?. BJOG: An Int. J. Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 122 p.1175. http://doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.13446

Sanabria-Martínez, G., García-Hermoso, A., Poyatos-León, R., Álvarez-Bueno, C., Sánchez-López, M., Martínez-Vizcaíno, V. (2015) Effectiveness of physical activity interventions on preventing gestational diabetes mellitus and excessive maternal weight gain: a meta-analysis. BJOG: An Int. J. Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 122 pp. 1167–1174. DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.13429