Type 2 Diabetes - Will Type 1 or 2 Develop After Having Gestational Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes once known as "juvenile" diabetes, is distinguished by low blood levels of insulin. Type 2 diabetes, which was once known as "adult onset" or "mature onset" diabetes, is characterized by high levels of insulin attempting to overcome the individual's insulin resistance. Now, according to a study completed at the Oslo University in Oslo, Norway, women with previous cases of Gestational diabetes or diabetes of pregnancy, can lose pancreatic beta cell function. Perhaps the condition should be reclassified as adult-onset Type 1 diabetes. This is more than a question of semantics because Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin. Type 2 treatment begins with metformin and other oral anti-diabetic medications and does not always progress to the point of needing insulin.

The study, reported on in the European Journal of Endocrinology in April 2015, included 300 women with a history of pregnancy, 52 of whom had developed Gestational diabetes. Five years after delivery, these 52 women developed slightly elevated blood sugar levels at 4.8 times the rate as women with normal healthy pregnancies did. Insulin resistance, the cause of Type 2 diabetes, was not reduced but insulin levels were. Fat around the inner organs in the abdominal area was greater in women with a history of diabetes that developed during their pregnancy. The more inner organ fat the women had, the less their beta cells which make insulin in their pancreas, were able to do their job. The relationship between fat and beta cell competence was more pronounced among women with a previous history of Gestational diabetes.

The take-home lesson we can learn from the above study is that maintaining a normal weight is crucial after pregnancy, and particularly after one complicated with diabetes. Since inner fat around the organs is not seen, women need to watch their weight as well as their appearance. Most women should weigh 100 pounds for their first 5 feet in height, and 5 pounds per inch after that. A woman 5'7" in height should weigh 100 + (7 x 5) = 135 pounds. Or go by body mass index (BMI), which should fall between 18.5 and 25. To find your BMI, go to http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm and insert your height and weight. If it is over 25, it's time to get busy taking off fat. Fill up on more vegetables and fruit put into your salads to vary color, flavor, and texture.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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