Research suggests gestational diabetes preventable
A SIMPLE lifestyle intervention could be all it takes to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) even in high-risk women, according to a new study.
Working with 293 women considered at risk for GDM due to obesity – having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher – or a history of the condition, researchers divided them into a control group and an intervention group.
All participants' pregnancies were less than 20 weeks underway at the start of the study and the 155 women in the test group received a diet and exercise intervention supervised by experienced nurses whereas the remaining women in the control group received standard care.
The intervention group had a 13.9 incidence of GDM whereas the control group's was 21.6%.
Participants were classified as having GDM based on a 75 percent oral glucose tolerance test, following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.
The study was published in the journal Diabetes Care. – AFP Relaxnews