Hamburg, March 01: Expectant mothers who rapidly gain weight during the first trimester of pregnancy are more vulnerable to developing gestational diabetes, a new study found.
Gestational diabetes (GDM), a condition characterized by glucose intolerance, is first recognized during pregnancy.
It occurs in approximately 4% of all pregnancies but places the majority of affected mothers and their offspring at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later life.
According to the study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, expectant mothers who gain more than 403.70 grams per week are more prone to gestational diabetes than those who gain less than 272.15 grams in the same time.
The study found the risk to be 74 percent higher among the fastest weight gainers.
“Large gains in maternal fat mass in early pregnancy could have a stronger influence on subsequent insulin resistance and, consequently, [gestational diabetes] risk than later gains in lean tissue or fetal mass,” said lead researcher Monique Hedderson.
Scientists, therefore, urged expectant mothers particularly those who are overweight and obese to avoid excessive weight gain in early pregnancy in order to reduce their risk of GDM.
——-Agencies