Pregnancy diabetes and obesity risk to women
Friday March 20th, 2015
Obese women who develop diabetes during pregnancy face a hugely increased risk of contracting the disease permanently, researchers warned last night.
If they go on to gain significant weight after giving birth, they have a 43 times greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new US study has revealed.
Writing in Diabetologica, authors from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the US National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, say that the risk is heightened for women who have a body mass index of 30 and above before becoming pregnant and put on 5kg after birth.
The research underlines the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight both before and after pregnancy, says lead authors Dr Cuilin Zhang and Dr Wei Bao.
In this new study, the authors and colleagues used data from women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II), as part of the ongoing diabetes and women's health study.
A total of 1,695 women were included in the study, all of whom had gestational diabetes between 1991 and 2001. They were followed up until the return of the 2009 follow-up questionnaire.
The data revealed there were 259 incident cases of type 2 diabetes in the 18 years of follow-up, with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes of 16% for each increase of 1kg.
Every 5kg of weight gain after gestational diabetes was associated with a 27% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, while women who had a body mass index of 30 or higher, and gained 5kg or more after GDM, had a 43-times increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with women who had a body mass index of 25 or less and gained 5kg or less after pregnancy-related diabetes.
The authors conclude: “Our findings provide evidence to support the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight in these high-risk women to prevent future development of type 2 diabetes.”
Commenting on the research, Janet Fyle, professional policy advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “This research underlines the need for women to start their pregnancy in optimal health at a healthy weight and to maintain this during and after their pregnancy.
“It also shows the need for better information, education and support for women about the benefits of healthy eating during pregnancy: for example, we need to dispel the myth that women need to eat for two during pregnancy.
“Behind of all this is a pressing need for more health education for the population as a whole, about the potential problems that can arise from being overweight or obese and about the need for a healthy lifestyle.”
Bao W, Yeung E, et al. Long-term risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in relation to BMI and weight change among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study. Diabetologia. March 2015; doi: 10.1007/s00125-015-3537-4
Tags: Childbirth and Pregnancy | Diabetes | North America | Women's Health & Gynaecology
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