Becoming a Healthy Mom Prevents Diabetes During Pregnancy

The effects of lifestyle intervention on the prevention of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) in women at high risk were investigated. The researchers at the University of Helsinki did the study and found out that it was confirming the fact that they have assumed. These findings have been published in the journal, Diabetologia.

Diabetes and Pregnancy

Gestational diabetes is the most common health-related challenge during pregnancy. In recent times, every fifth expectant mother in Finland is diagnosed with it. Gestational diabetes has a significant impact on the health of both the mother and the child, both during pregnancy and after delivery.

To find effective ways of tackling gestational diabetes, a new Finnish Gestational Diabetes Prevention Study was conducted. The participants invited to the intervention study were women with a high risk of diabetes planning pregnancy or already in early pregnancy who were obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) or who had a history of gestational diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes About
The condition is not caused by a lack of insulin, but by the action of hormones produced during pregnancy that blocks the action of insulin.

‘Researchers have developed a genetic risk score for identifying individuals who would benefit the most from lifestyle counseling to prevent gestational and postpartum diabetes.’

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A total of 724 women were randomized to a control group or to undergo intensified physical exercise and dietary interventions three times during pregnancy and three times in the first year after delivery.

The dietary advice adhered to Nordic Dietary Guidelines, while a total of 150 minutes of moderately intensive physical activity was recommended per week.

In this study, a polygenic risk score (PRS) describing the genetic risk of diabetes was calculated using gene variants known to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Targeted Measures Produce Better Results

The risk score for type 2 diabetes was associated with elevated glucose levels in mid-and late pregnancy as well as one year after delivery.

Can Healthy Diet Reduce Gestational Diabetes Risk?
Pregnant women consuming vegetables, fruits, berries, and wholegrain products during early pregnancy are at lower the risk of developing gestational diabetes.

“Gestational diabetes, as well as prediabetes and diabetes one year after delivery, we’re also more common among those with higher scores,” says Emilia Huvinen, a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The study also discovered that genetic risk also affected the link between lifestyle counseling and gestational diabetes as well as diabetes.

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According to the researchers, genetic-risk scoring would make it possible to identify the expectant mothers most at risk as well as to direct resources and the most effective preventive measures specifically to them. This would be of great importance in terms of both limited societal resources and the health of these mothers and their children.

At the same time, it is also important to realize that, in the case of diabetes, our genetic background does not determine our future. With the help of a healthy lifestyle, you can reverse the effect of high genetic diabetes risk.

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Source-Medindia