Gestational diabetes increases the risk of adult-onset diabetes
Published: Tuesday, Nov 12th 2024, 14:30
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A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.
The risk of cardiometabolic diseases also increases, said Tinh Hai Collet, assistant professor at the Faculty Center for Diabetes at the University of Geneva. The Geneva researchers, in collaboration with the University Hospitals of Lausanne and Geneva, the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, used wearable devices to measure glucose dynamics, physical activity and heart rate.
The study compared 22 women with gestational diabetes and 15 women with normal glucose metabolism during pregnancy. The results published in the specialist journal "Diabetologia" show that the affected women's blood glucose regulation remains impaired even after giving birth, although the usual clinical data is comparable with the normal value.
The study shows that women who suffer from gestational diabetes have a higher body weight. In addition, it took longer for blood sugar levels to return to normal after meals, even if they consumed fewer carbohydrates.
Their daily blood glucose rhythm is also disturbed, suggesting a disruption of their internal clocks or circadian rhythms. Monitoring blood glucose variability in the postpartum period would make it possible to identify women at increased risk, according to the authors. Worldwide, around 14 percent of pregnant women are affected by gestational diabetes, in Switzerland the figure is 10 percent.
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