Published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this recent research insists on the importance of a nutritious and healthy diet to avoid insulin surges in pregnancy as it may trigger diabetes in the child during later stages of his life.
The research was conducted by Dr. Francisco J. Sánchez-Muniz and his colleagues at the Complutense University, Madrid.
Foreword
According to researchers maternal diet is an important aspect of pregnancy and fetal growth as it affects the insulin and sugar levels at the time of birth. This means that insulin surges and high glucose levels may predispose the child to diabetes and the metabolic syndromes associated with it.
This means that mothers who consume right amount of foods ensure healthy and normal weight of new born whereas those who consume more or lower amounts of food will have babies who are either overweight or underweight respectively. The emphasis of a well balanced diet is also fundamental to the child’s normal weight and other healthy parameters at birth.
Study on Pregnant Women and Their Diets
It has been found that 50% of the women consume low quality diet such as high saturated fats from animal products in place of carbohydrates and proteins from vegetables and pulses. This increases the risk of a child having a diabetogenic profile during birth.
This means high levels of insulin and serum glucose which mark insulin resistance. This directly indicates the effect of diet on pancreatic development on the fetus and concentration of insulin and glucose at birth.
The authors of the study emphasize that all pregnant mothers should shift to a well balanced Mediterranean diet during pregnancy to avoid their newborn being born with a diabetogenic profile that puts them to greater risk in the later years of their life.
