Gestational diabetes linked with higher diabetes risk in obese children
Children that developed in the womb whilst their mothers had gestational diabetes were over 3 times more likely to develop glucose intolerance according to the results of a new clinical study.
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, as a result of high levels of hormones produced by the placenta. Unlike most other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes is usually temporary, with high blood sugar levels reverting back to normal after the pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes can occur in people of any weight, which is why gestational diabetes should be screened for in every pregnancy in the UK, but becomes more likely the more overweight you are.
In the study carried out by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine, 225 children and teenagers, between the age of 4 and 20 were selected for the study. The youths selected were obese but with normal glucose tolerance, as shown by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The youths were then monitored after 2.8 years for glucose intolerance.
For the analysis, the researchers divided the youngsters into two groups, those whose mothers had gestational diabetes during their pregnancy and those whose mothers did not. 18% of the mothers had developed gestational diabetes …read more
Source:: News from Diabetes.co.uk