According to a study out of the University of Toronto, researchers have discovered a simple, accurate new way to predict which women with gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes after delivery. This would help aid physicians in giving advice to women to stave off the disease.
Gestational diabetes is glucose intolerance first identified during pregnancy, occurring in three to 13 percent of all pregnant women, and it increases a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 20 to 50 percent within five years after pregnancy.
To conduct this study, the researchers tested fasting blood samples collected from women with gestational diabetes within two months after delivery – predicting with 83 percent accuracy which women would develop the disease later on. This method significantly increased the prediction percentage than conventional methods. The new method was also faster, which was important. In some settings, the long time for the test resulted in less than 40 percent compliance rates.
One researcher notes, “After delivering a baby, many women may find it very difficult to schedule two hours for another glucose test.” She wondered, “What if we could create a much more effective test that could be given to women while they’re still in the hospital? Once diabetes has developed, it’s very difficult to reverse.”
A doctor noted, “Early prevention is the key to minimizing the devastating effects of diabetes on health outcomes. By identifying women soon after delivery, we can focus our resources on those at greatest risk who may benefit most from concerted early prevention efforts.”
This early prediction technique could provide early detection of gestational diabetes without the long test time, causing more women to have the test done and potentially saving lives.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
