MDNews - San Antonio

CLINICAL DISCUSSION Diet and Gestational Diabetes EVERY PREGNANCY CARRIES BETWEEN A 2% AND 10% CHANCE THE MOTHER WILL EXPERIENCE GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM). WHEN LEFT UNTREATED, THIS CONDITION COULD PUT BOTH MOTHER AND CHILD AT RISK — AND THE WOMAN AT A GREATER RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2DM) LATER IN LIFE. HOWEVER, NEW STUDIES SUGGEST A HEALTHFUL DIET CAN REDUCE PATIENTS' OVERALL RISK OF DEVELOPING THESE CONDITIONS. IN & Women's Health (DWH) study led by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institutes of Health, researchers are working to identify the greatest risk factors and populations at risk. "Since these women represent such a high-risk group, it is crucial to identify factors that determine the progression from GDM to T2DM, including modifiable factors, genetic factors and gene-environment interactions," says Deirdre Tobias, Sc.D., research fellow in the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. "The DWH study targets women with prior GDM in the United States-based Nurses' Health Study II and the Danish National Birth Cohort in Denmark." AN ONGOING DIABETES Higher Risk Due to Lack of Routine? Initially, researchers found that women who had healthful eating patterns and consumed fruits, vegetables a nd whole gra ins while forgoing 22 | San Antonio MD NEWS I MDNEWS.COM processed foods, red meat and sugarsweetened beverages, such as soda, were less likely to develop T2DM later in life. "Our DWH study research team is now evaluating other factors — such as physical activity levels and other lifestyle variables — that might affect T2DM risk among these high-risk women," says Tobias. "Being overweight or obese is the largest single risk factor for developing GDM. However, even among women of normal weight, lifestyle plays an important role. Even before conception, it appears that a sedentary lifestyle with low physical activity and poor diet, including low intakes of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, really increase a woman's risk of developing GDM, regardless of body weight." Other women at high risk for GDM include: + Asian-Americans and Hispanics + Women who are older + Smokers "Most women in the United States are screened for GDM during pregnancy," says Tobias. "However, screening practices for type 2 diabetes after GDM are not well established." For women who experienced GDM while pregnant, lifestyle changes — such as eating a balanced diet, quitting smoking and increasing physical activity, such as walking and muscle toning — should be made to reduce further risk of T2DM. "Weight loss can be difficult and take time, so focusing on an overall healthy lifestyle is key," says Tobias. "Additionally, women should continue to see their physicians and request glucose screenings to monitor their progress." To learn more about ongoing studies of GDM and its correlation to T2DM, visit www.jamanetwork.com. I A DV E R T I S E R S ' I N D E X American Physicians Insurance ..................5 Children's Hospital of San Antonio ...............Inside Front Cover Healthtec Software, Inc. ............................... 13 Provenir .................................................................9 Sipco................................................................ 5 Sol Schwartz & Associates, P.C ................. 19 Southwest General Hospital.... Back Cover Strasburger Price Oppenheimer Blend.............................. 9 Texas Health Steps ..... Inside Back Cover The Health Collaborative .........................15 UT Health Science Center ....................... 15

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