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| 1. A Wake-Up Call to Make Changes to Prevent Diabetes |
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Diabetes prevention starts in womb |
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Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that is occurring for the first time during pregnancy. It puts the foetus at risk of developing the disease later. The foetus secretes extra insulin to handle abnormal glucose input from the mother. This results in the birth of big babies.
Elevated maternal blood glucose level has a direct effect on the increased susceptibility of the foetus developing diabetes later. In other words, prevention of diabetes (Type II) starts not when the person celebrates his/her thirtieth birthday but right at the foetal stage even before he/she is born. And the mother also runs the risk of developing full-blown diabetes if glucose level is not controlled during pregnancy.
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| During pregnancy, placenta produces hormones that prevent insulin from doing its job. As placenta grows larger in the second and third trimester, it secretes even more of those hormones, further increasing insulin resistance. Normally, pancreas responds by producing enough extra insulin to overcome this resistance. But the body may need up to three times as much insulin as normal and sometimes pancreas simply can’t keep up. When this happens, too little glucose gets into cells and too much stays in blood. This is gestational diabetes. If untreated or uncontrolled, gestational diabetes can result in a variety of health problems for mother and baby. |
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This newsletter is published for free distribution through the Internet for doctors, patients and public for promoting healthy lifestyles. For enquiries, please contact Sunitha Jothydev, CAO, Jothydev’s Diabetes Centre, Trivandrum - cao@jothydev.net. Please visit: http://www.jothydev.net |
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