Study says South Asian women likely to pass diabetes to generations

The casualties due to diabetes are increasing day by day in India leading the country to becoming world’s diabetes capital. A very common lifestyle disease is Type-2 Diabetes which happens because of various factors like lack of exercise, high – fat diet etc. it leads to obesity too. One study has shown that South Asians are pre-exposed to diabetes at the time of birth itself. According to START (south Asian birth cohort study) says the South Asian women are more prone to developing gestational diabetes which they might pass to their next generation. According to Sonia Anand who was a principal investigator in the study from McMaster University the south Asian women should often go for routine screening for gestational diabetes so that the risk of passing down the disease to their babies can be avoided. The factors that play a big role in increasing diabetes risk in children include mother’s body fat, high blood sugar levels and ethnicity.

The study further emphasized that the south Asians should try preventing diabetes from an early age itself to keep risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes from piling up. The rate of gestational disease is also very high as it affects one in every 20 pregnant women. In this type of diabetes, either less or more than required insulin is produced in mother’s body which is either not enough or more than enough causing accumulation of sugar in blood. This leads to a medical condition ‘hyperglycaemia’.

Gestational diabetes gets cured after pregnancy but leaves a heavy impact on the child. Hormonal changes and weight gain during pregnancy are considered to be the two main reasons for it but the main factor hasn’t been discovered yet.

However, a healthy pregnancy plan can help in preventing gestational diabetes. This means keeping your weight under check, exercising regularly and sound medical checkups. Next most important thing is to keep a check on your blood sugar levels by purchasing a blood glucose monitor. If you notice any changes, take appropriate measures to bring your sugar levels back to normal. It’ commonly said that in pregnancy you should eat for two. However, it is not true. This is only going to increase your blood sugar levels and of course fat. Just additional 300 calories is enough to keep you and your child healthy. Make sure you include all food groups. If in case you have developed diabetes, seek medical attention at once. There are effective insulin therapies available today.