Delivering a large baby could be a sign of diabetes risk

By Steven Reinberg Health Day Reporter

TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Women who give birth to larger-than-average babies are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, according to a new study.

Large-for-gestational-age infants are defined as those weighing 8 pounds or more, the study’s senior author said. Dr. Karthik Kailas Venkateshassistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University.

“In an environment of obesity, women are at a higher risk of having bigger babies,” he said. “And they’re also at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.”

Venkatesh said women who deliver large babies are most likely to suffer from glucose intolerance which causes high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

“Even if you don’t have gestational diabetes, there’s still probably glucose intolerance that leads you to having a big baby, and that probably leads you to develop type 2 diabetes later in life,” said he declared.

“I think this is something we need to do more research on, so we can develop better counseling and prevention options for women and their families,” Venkatesh added.

For the study, Venkatesh and colleagues looked at follow-up study data on high blood sugar and adverse pregnancy outcomes. They found that of the 4,025 women who did not have gestational diabetes, 13% still had large babies.

Within 10 to 14 years after childbirth, 20% of all women have developed prediabetes or diabetes. The rate of women with prediabetes or diabetes was higher among those who had large babies (25%) than among women who delivered normal (20%) or underweight (15%) babies, Venkatesh said. .

The finding held true even after researchers took into account risk factors for type 2 diabetes, such as age, obesity, high blood pressure and family history of diabetes.

Venkatesh noted that only 25% of women who have large babies develop type 2 diabetes. So even if you have a large baby, you are not doomed to develop diabetes, he said.

High blood sugar during pregnancy can contribute to having a big baby, says Dr Dawnette Lewis, director of the Center for Maternal Health at Northwell Health in Manhasset, NY She was not part of the study, but reviewed the results.

“We believe that if the mother’s blood sugar is high, that also means the baby’s blood sugar is high,” Lewis said. “Then what happens is increased insulin production to lower blood sugar, but insulin acts as a growth factor, and that’s why these babies are getting fat.”

She said diabetes prevention starts with blood sugar screening during and after pregnancy.

If a woman’s blood sugar is high, Lewis said her diet should be changed to reduce carbs to lower blood sugar.

After giving birth to a large baby, women should have their blood sugar levels monitored to see if they are high.

“These patients should be monitored with what’s called a continuous glucose monitor, which is inserted subcutaneously and tests blood sugar every 15 minutes,” Lewis advised.

Two weeks of monitoring can indicate whether the patient is at risk of becoming diabetic, she said. After that, these women should have their blood sugar levels tested regularly by their treating physician.

“Even if they only have a 25% chance of developing type 2 diabetes, they should be screened annually by their primary care physician,” Lewis said.

SOURCES: Kartik Kailas Venkatesh, MD, PhD, assistant professor, epidemiology, Ohio State University, Columbus; Dawnette Lewis, MD, MPH, director, Center for Maternal Health, at Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY; February 11, 2023, presentation, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, meeting, San Francisco; American Journal of Obstetrics and GynecologyJanuary 2023

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