Health Quick Tips – Health Tips For Common Ailments

Posts Tagged ‘insulin’

Gestational Diabetes Health Quick Tip

Every pregnant woman needs to pay attention to her diet, but this is especially true for the 3 to 6 percent who develop gestational diabetes. Though symptoms are often mild for the mother, high blood sugar levels can be dangerous for the baby. Fortunately, it’s easy to manage gestational diabetes to help ensure an easier delivery and healthier baby.

Women are generally more likely than men to develop diabetes, a blood sugar disorder, but some experience especially high glucose, or blood sugar, levels during pregnancy. The risk of developing gestational diabetes rises if you’re over age 25; if you have a family history of diabetes, obesity, glucose intolerance, or sugar in the urine; or if you’ve a previous child with a heavy birthweight. During the second trimester, the placenta starts to produce hormones, one of which may block the action of insulin–the hormone that allows glucose into cells to be used for energy. This may cause symptoms such as increased thirst and urination, weight loss (even though she’s hungry and eating more), fatigue, and nausea. Meanwhile, the increased sugar in the mother’s blood may cause the baby to grow large, to perhaps more than 9 lbs., making delivery difficult. The baby may experience a dangerous drop in blood sugar after birth and be at higher risk of respiratory problems.

Because it’s hard to predict who will develop gestational diabetes, all pregnant women should be screened for it between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy–when the fetus begins producing hormones that may affect the mother’s blood sugar levels. A woman at risk–one who has a history of diabetes or is obese–may be screened earlier, however.

For 75 percent of women with gestational diabetes, following a prescribed diet helps keep glucose levels under control. (Other women may require insulin injections.) Regular exercise also helps by increasing the body’s ability to use blood sugar for energy.

Gestational diabetes increases the risk of other serious pregnancy complications, including polyhyramnios, a condition in which excess amniotic fluid causes the uterus to stretch and makes breathing difficult, and toxemia, which may cause hypertension and swelling. Women with high blood sugar are also more prone to urinary tract and yeast infections.

In most cases, gestational diabetes can be properly managed with a diet that provides enough calories and nutrients while helping to maintain normal glucose levels, which health-care providers will closely monitor. Each woman’s diet must be tailored to her individual needs–a registered dietitian usually provides nutritional counseling–but it will most likely include these elements:

• Add a Tad of Fat. — Fat raises blood sugar levels more slowly than carbohydrates do because it takes the body longer to break them down into glucose. If you’re advised to increase your fat intake a bit, choose monounsaturates–drizzle olive oil on bread or dice avocado onto a salad. Nuts such as almonds and cashews also provide protein, which like fat, is more slowly broken down by the body.
• Curb the Carbs. — Though carbohydrates remain indispensable for energy during pregnancy, large amounts can cause blood sugar to soar. Limit mealtime portions to just one reasonable serving of a given food–1/2 cup pasta, 1/2 cup cereal, or a piece of fruit. Whenever possible, choose whole foods over processed types.
• Graze Away. — A small lunch may leave you ravenous and more inclined to overeat at dinner, but your body may not be able to manufacture enough insulin to handle the glucose overload. Plan healthy between-meal snacks, such as cheese and crackers or low-fat yogurt, to keep your appetite and blood sugar levels in check.
• Fill up on Fiber. — Soluble fiber appears to stabilize blood sugar by forming a sticky gel in the intestine that prevents glucose from being quickly absorbed into the blood. Good sources of soluble fiber include fresh fruits (with their skins), such as apples, peaches, and raspberries; legumes such as black beans, kidney beans, and lentils; and grains, especially oatmeal, barley, and wheat germ.
• Note Nutrients. — Certain vitamins and minerals are especially helpful for pregnant women with diabetes: Antioxidant vitamins C (found in cantaloupe and peppers) and E (in chickpeas and sweet potatoes) protect cells from damage that increase risk of heart disease and eye problems, common among people with diabetes, while chromium (in broccoli, grapefruit, and turkey) improves sugar regulation.

For many women, gestational diabetes disappears when the baby arrives, but the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later years is higher. This may be due to a genetic predisposition for the disease, which pregnancy uncovers.