Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes have more body fat at two months of age compared to babies born to healthy mothers, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Imperial College in London, in the United Kingdom.The authors used magnetic resonance to measure body fat in 86 babies, making measurements shortly after birth and when babies had between eight and 12 weeks old.
The investigation, published in the Diabetes Care magazine, reveals that although babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes did not present differences in the body fat content at birth, at two months of age they were 16 percent more body fat in comparison in comparisonwith those born of healthy mothers.The majority of study of the study were fed with breast milk.
The reasons for the differences are unknown, but the possible explanations include changes in the baby's metabolism while in the uterus or even differences in the composition of breast milk in mothers with gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes affects approximately one in 20 pregnant women in the United Kingdom (and almost one in ten in the United States) and is that a woman's blood sugar levels become too high.
The disorder, which can be controlled with diet, exercise and medicines, usually begins when the woman is around seven months of pregnancy.Gestational diabetes is resolved shortly after giving birth, although the woman can be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life."Gestational diabetes is becoming more and more common, and babies born to these mothers have a greater risk of developing diabetes when they are older. Therefore, we have to understand what effects maternal diabetes have on the baby," explains the doctorKaren Logan, main author of the study, of the Department of Medicine of Imperial College."This new study suggests that diabetes in the mother can cause changes in the baby at a very early phase," he adds.
changes of the baby
It is believed that one of the main causes of diabetes is excess weight, although other factors influence, according to Logan."Many of the women in our study had no overweight and there are other possible causes of the disease, such as genetic predisposition. All women in the study had their disorder well controlled, however, this study suggests that even good management during thePregnancy may not be enough to avoid long -term problems in the baby. "
The reasons for the difference in body fat are unknown, but theories point to changes in the baby when it was still in the belly that unleashed fat storage, once born;Alterations in mother milk or differences in appetite control in the baby.
Professor Neena Modi, from the Department of Medicine of Imperial College and main author of the article, says: "The majority of babies in our study were fed with breastfeeding and previous studies have suggested that diabetes can cause changes in breast milk for breast milkcontaining more sugar, fat levels or different compounds that control the appetite, called hunger hormones. "
The study, which was conducted at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital in London, also followed the weight of babies.Although it was seen that babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes weighed a little less at birth, babies of both groups had a weight similar to ten weeks of age, Dr. Logan advances that the next steps of the team will imply the analysis of the compositionof mothers breast milk with gestational diabetes.Nor is it clear right nowPre -existing diabetes in the mother has effects similar to gestational diabetes.He adds that if parents have concerns about the diet or weight of their children, they must talk to their health assistant or header.
In this study, which was funded by the charity medical research action, scientists scanned 42 babies whose mothers were diagnosed with gestational diabetes and 44 babies born of mothers without disorder, as a healthy control group.
Posted in 'Diabetes Care'