Gestational Diabetes Linked to Childhood Obesity

Results of new study stress importance of women receiving care for diabetes during pregnancy

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (October 23, 2007) – Children of women who developed diabetes during pregnancy are more likely to be overweight, according to a new study by the American Diabetes Association. However, women who receive treatment for diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) can lower this risk.

"The study is one of the first to suggest that effective treatment of gestational diabetes cannot only decrease the risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery, but also can decrease the risk of childhood obesity," says Meredith Rochon, M.D., Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network's interim chief of maternal-fetal medicine, which specializes in caring for women with challenging pregnancies.

Researchers tested nearly 10,000 women and children. After following up five to seven years later, they found children born to mothers with poorly controlled high blood sugar were 89 percent more likely to be overweight and 82 percent more likely to be obese, compared to children born to mothers with normal blood sugar during pregnancy.

"On the other hand, further research showed the risk decreased in children whose mothers were treated for gestational diabetes," says  Rochon's colleague Arnold Slyper, M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist. About 4 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. develop gestational diabetes each year, according to the American Diabetes Association. "Treatment can be challenging for women, requiring frequent doctors' appointments and routine checks of blood sugar levels," says Deb Maurer, a Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network registered dietitian and Helwig Health and Diabetes Center diabetes educator. "We give women encouragement, guidance and support so they and their children are healthy."

Need an obstetrician who understands the risks of gestational diabetes? Call 610-402-CARE for a referral.

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