Nutrition and Gestational Diabetes, Essay Example

In basic medical terminology, gestational diabetes or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) which is exclusively found in pregnant women, is a disorder characterized by the impaired ability to metabolize carbohydrates, usually due to a deficiency of insulin, a “naturally occurring hormone secreted by the beta cells of the Islands of Langerhans in the pancreas” in response to an increase in the level of glucose in the bloodstream. Although this type of diabetic disorder occurs during pregnancy, it tends to disappear after the delivery of a baby but has been known to recur many years later as the woman ages (Glantz, 2004, p. 626).

The exact cause of gestational diabetes is not clear, but some researchers tend to believe that what is known as placenta lactogen or a hormone that helps to regulate a woman’s metabolic rate during pregnancy, and the destruction of insulin by the placenta plays a crucial role in the development of the disorder (Glantz, 2004, p. 627). Gestational diabetes occurs in about 4% of pregnant women who have elevated levels of glucose, a simple type of sugar found in many varieties of food, especially fruits, and which serves as a major source for energy (Glantz, 2004, p. 627). Women who consume foods that are high in glucose while pregnant are at risk of developing gestational diabetes; however, adhering to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables like oranges, celery, asparagus, carrots, and some seafood, helps to lower (if not prevent) the development of the disorder.

But unfortunately, a large percentage of pregnant women, due to living in poverty and not having access to the traditional nutritional food groups, cannot adhere to a healthy diet. Even less fortunate is that some pregnant women do not appear to understand the vital connections between eating properly and delivering a healthy baby. Also, due to the prevalence of fast food businesses like McDonald’s and the consumption of food items like pastries and cakes, chocolate, carbonated beverages, and ice cream products, gestational diabetes appears in pregnant women more often than in the past (What I Need to Know About Gestational Diabetes, 2013). Thus, due to the fact that gestational diabetes is linked to a pregnant woman’s inability to metabolize carbohydrates, nutrition plays a vital role in helping to lower the chances of being diagnosed with the disorder.

Chemically, foods that contain carbohydrates, being a group of organic compounds made up of sugar, starch, cellulose, and other saccharides (Glantz, 2004, p. 324), are converted into glucose which results in higher levels of this simple sugar compound. As noted in the Gestational Diabetes Nutrition Guidelines of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, pregnant women must learn how to control their intake of foods rich in carbohydrates on a daily basis and which types of food pose the greatest risk in developing gestational diabetes while pregnant (2007, p. 3).

Some of the most common carbohydrates foods includes grains and beans, white bread, tortilla shells (due to being made from corn), noodles and spaghetti, all milk and yogurt products, potatoes, pizza, and snake products like French fries, candy, cookies, and baked items like cake and pie (Gestational Diabetes Nutrition Guidelines, 2007, p. 4). Ironically, all of these food types are widely consumed in the United States by people living at or near the federal poverty line. This includes poor pregnant women who have few alternatives when it comes to eating properly and attempting to adhere to a diet low in carbohydrates.

A very appropriate piece of advice can be found in the Gestational Diabetes Nutrition Guidelines which addresses the growing problem of poor and often indigent pregnant women and weight gain, due to being unable to limit their intake of carbohydrates which of course can lead to gestational diabetes and other forms like Type 2 diabetes. As to weight gain, pregnant women must be encouraged to plan ahead by aiming “for their pre-pregnancy weight six to twelve months after the baby is born,” and if overweight or obese to do whatever is needed to lose “at least five to seven percent of

body weight over time” (Gestational Diabetes Nutrition Guidelines, 2007, p. 10). The main result of this will be an improvement in insulin sensitivity and a significant reduction in the chances of developing gestational diabetes during future pregnancies

One method that even poor pregnant women can use to help control their nutritional intake of carbohydrates while pregnant is to learn how to balance out foods that are high in carbohydrates and those that have lower amounts. This approach to helping lower blood glucose levels requires that while pregnant, a woman must track how many carbohydrates she consumes during each meal, particularly in the morning when blood glucose levels are usually at their highest peak in the bloodstream. Typically, this would include determining the number of carbohydrate grams by weight in foods that are consumed on a daily basis and then keeping a food record or chart that shows how many carbohydrate grams have been consumed in a given period of time (Gestational Diabetes Nutrition Guidelines, 2007, p. 4). In essence then, the relationship between gestational diabetes and nutrition lies within the inability to metabolize carbohydrates while pregnant which leads to an increase in blood glucose. As a result, many researchers are currently engaged in studying the presence of gestational diabetes in high-risk groups that tend to consume excessive amounts of carbohydrates, such as poor pregnant women with few food choices. Of course, finding a way to prevent gestational diabetes is the main goal of this research, due to the fact that undiagnosed diabetes in pregnant women not only affects their current and future health but also that of their unborn children.

References

Gestational diabetes nutrition guidelines. (2007). Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Retrieved from www.colorado.gov/Nutrition/Gestational+Diabetes

Glantz, W.D., Ed. (2004). Mosby’s medical, nursing, and allied health dictionary. St. Louis, MO: C.V. Mosby & Company.

What I need to know about gestational diabetes. (2013). National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/gestational