According to a study of nearly two million births in Sweden from 2000 to 2020, almost half of the cases of gestational diabetes, a common pregnancy complication, could be avoided if body weight was maintained in the normal range. Read also Gestational diabetes: myths and truths you need to know
Gestational diabetes, in which a pregnant woman develops high blood sugar levels, can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes later in life. Obesity and overweight, indicated by a body mass index greater than 30, have been studied to have adverse effects on pregnancy.
In this study, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, estimated the extent to which pregnancy complications could be avoided if women were of normal weight before conceiving.
How important is a healthy weight before pregnancy?
“For example, we concluded that almost half of cases of gestational diabetes could potentially be prevented. This applies to both Swedish-born women and foreign-born women,” said Dr., a PhD student at Linköping University and first author of the study. Published in The Lancet Public Health journal, study author Maryam Shirvanifer said.
Researchers also found that more than a quarter of pre-eclampsia cases could be avoided if a healthy weight was maintained before pregnancy. This condition involves high blood pressure and may also be accompanied by severe headache, vision problems like blurred vision, swelling in feet and ankles, etc.
The study included both women born in Sweden and women who moved to the country from regions around the world, including Europe, Latin America and South Asia.
According to lead researcher Pontus Henriksson, a senior associate professor in the Department of Health, Medical and Care Sciences at Linköping University, efforts to promote healthy weight could be beneficial for all women, regardless of ethnicity.
“A healthy weight is good for everyone. The earlier in life the better, because once obesity is established it is difficult to treat,” said Henriksen.
More information about the study
Of the nearly two million pregnant women studied, about 17,000 were born in South Asia.
“The number of cases of gestational diabetes due to overweight and obesity was almost four times higher in Swedish-born women than in women born in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa and the Middle East, which is probably a reason Higher prevalence of gestational diabetes in prenatal areas,” the authors wrote.
Other complications the researchers looked at included infant death in the first year of life, premature birth and abnormal size of the baby at birth.
They took data from national registers to analyze the relationship between a woman’s body mass index before pregnancy and which region of the world she was born in.
“Promoting healthy weight in pregnancy has the potential to reduce the burden of adverse pregnancy outcomes and potentially reduce disparities in reproductive health,” the authors wrote.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions you may have about a medical condition.
