A new study by Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research carries both good news and bad news. Bad news first -- research of 9,439 mother-child pairs shows maternal blood sugar is tied to a future risk of obesity in offpsring. Pregnant women with above-normal blood sugar levels were twice as likely to have overweight kids. Across all racial and ethnic groups, the higher the mother's blood sugar during pregnancy, the greater the chance her offspring would develop obesity by 5 to 7 years of age.

Now if you're pregnant and you've been diagnosed with high blood sugar, take a deep breath. The good news is the risk of childhood obesity is reversible if elevated sugars are treated through diet, exercise and insulin (if required). At particular risk are women with sugar levels higher than normal, but not high enough to be deemed gestational diabetes. They were more likely to have obese children than women treated for gestational diabetes or those with normal sugars.

Borderline blood sugars are nothing to ignore. I shared in a previous post that moderately elevated glucose during pregnancy is associated with other problems such as cesarean section and heavier babies. Gestational diabetes criteria may widen. Also, Deanna reported earlier this month that gestational diabetes is linked to pancreatic cancer.

Women who developed gestational diabetes while pregnant are at a higher risk for pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, that's the word from a new study. According to this report from Canada's CTV News, past studies have linked type 2 diabetes with increased pancreatic cancer. And, of course, having gestational diabetes puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes. However, this is the first time a link has been made between GD and pancreatic cancer.

The study involved an analysis of health records for a whopping 40,000 women, all of whom gave birth in Jerusalem between 1964 and 1976. Phew, that's a lotta diapers... Of 410 women diagnosed with GD, five developed pancreatic cancer in later years. None of the 137 women with type 1 diabetes went on to develop pancreatic cancer. Want the full story? Results have been published in BMC Medicine.

Now, don't panic if you have had GD. Says lead researcher, Mary Perrin of NYU's School of Medicine, the absolute risk for pancreatic cancer is still very low. Nevertheless, she points out that even a small statistical difference is significant since obesity is on the rise. The implication? If trends continue, we can expect to see more and more moms-to-be with GD in the future.

I remember taking the glucose tolerance test during my pregnancies. With a strong family history of type 1 diabetes, I anxiously awaited my test results. Luckily, everything was fine.

Unfortunately, more pregnant women might receive a diagnosis of gestational diabetes in the future, as blood glucose criteria guidelines may widen. Last Friday, researchers at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting in Chicago reported even moderately elevated glucose during pregnancy is associated with problems such as cesarean section and heavier babies. The study examined effects of less severe levels of blood sugar during pregnancy, not high enough to warrant a gestational diabetes diagnosis, but higher than ideal levels.

Boyd Metzger, principal investigator, explained the study tried to find where clinically significant effects occur on the spectrum of normal to abnormal glucose during pregnancy. Glucose levels were measured in 25,000 pregnant women from nine countries. Findings revealed women with the highest levels were six times more likely to birth an overweight baby and ten times more likely to have a baby with elevated blood insulin, compared to women in the lowest levels of glucose. Here's the kicker -- women ranging just below the current criteria for gestational diabetes still had a higher risk for problems. They were two to four times more likely to have newborns with high birth weight or elevated insulin levels.

Researchers acknowledge discussion is needed before criteria guidelines are revised, and the study begs more research over how pregnant women with mildly elevated sugar should be treated. Until then, pregnant women should be aware having an elevated sugar level not typically considered gestational diabetes is not a safe place for mom or baby. A more comprehensive article was published in yesterday's Chicago Tribune.

Results from a recent study reveal oral contraceptives are not all alike.

Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California recently released evidence linking oral contraceptives containing a highly androgenic progestin to a 43% increased risk of gestational diabetes, when used for five years leading up to pregnancy. Interestingly, oral contraceptives with a low androgenic progestin were associated with a 16% decreased risk of gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes develops in about 4% of pregnant women who have never had diabetes, but exhibit high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Untreated, it can be dangerous for both mother and baby.

The study selected 356 women with gestational diabetes and 368 women without the condition from a multiethnic cohort of 14,235 women who delivered a baby between January 1996 and June 1998. The women were members of Kaiser Permanente for a minimum of five years before pregnancy and screened for the condition between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. Medical records and pharmacy data were utilized to determine contraceptive use.

Researchers state their results support other related studies that confirm more androgenic oral contraceptives can impact glucose tolerance.

In Diabetes Care this month, researchers report that exposure to agricultural pesticides in the first-trimester increases a woman's risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy.

Researchers assessed the risk of developing gestational diabetes following pesticide exposures among over 11,200 wives of farmers enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study. Within 25 years of entering the study, 4.5% of women who became pregnant reported having gestational diabetes. Overall, 57% of women reported having mixed or applied pesticides at some time in their life, and the proportion was similar for those with and without gestational diabetes mellitus. Women who mixed or applied pesticides or repaired pesticide-related equipment during the first trimester of pregnancy had a more than twofold increased risk of developing gestational diabetes. There was no increased gestational diabetes risk among women with residential exposures to pesticides or indirect exposures during the first trimester.

With the rate of diabetes diagnosis rising, whether it is type 1, type 2 or gestational - understanding the potential effects of environmental exposure on glucose levels is critical to comprehensively addressing the core problem. The jury is still out on deciphering what environmental offense should be sentenced for the crime.

A study suggests that women who breastfeed may be lowering their risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Breastfeeding has always been healthy for babies. This research now shows it does the same for moms. The study found that the longer a woman breastfed, the lower her chances were for developing diabetes. Each year of breastfeeding was associated with a 15% reduction in diabetes risk within the next 15 years.

In the newly published research, nearly 160,000 female nurses were analyzed in two ongoing health studies. All of the women had provided information on their breastfeeding history, and roughly 6,200 developed type 2 diabetes.After consideration of other type 2 diabetes risk factors (obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, etc.) those having breastfed within the past 15 years were found to be less likely to develop diabetes. The likelihood of developing diabetes decreased the longer a woman breastfed. Women with a history of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) had an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. However, lactation did not have an effect on this risk.

Breastfeeding has clearly been healthy for babies, and now there is evidence that it is just as healthy for moms. In fact, lactation has also been shown to improve blood sugar control, help moms takeoff their pregnancy weight after the birth and this assists in lowering the overall risk for developing type 2 diabetes. We all know there are some things you just shouldn't mess with - Mother Nature is no exception.

Altea Therapeutics is working on the next generation of insulin delivery in the form of an insulin patch. Altea is developing, both 12 and 24-hour, patches to provide controlled, continuous delivery of basal insulin in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This will allow uninterrupted, measured delivery of insulin through the skin, by way of an adhesive sticker no larger than a few centimeters. For those already diagnosed with diabetes, this could be the band aid to quell their fear of needles, as well as effectively sticking to an insulin regimen. For those in limbo, diagnosed as pre-diabetes, this may be the answer your body needs to supplement your insulin reserves.

The PassPort^TM System is comprised of a single-use disposable PassPort^TM Patch and a re-useable handheld applicator. The patch is made of a metallic grid containing powder insulin. The handheld applicator releases a single pulse of electrical energy that converts into thermal energy, painlessly fastening the grid to the skin surface. The electronic pulse also creates porous channels to deliver the insulin through the skin. No injections, application in milliseconds, and continuous basal delivery of insulin throughout the day.

This breakthrough technology is about freedom, convenience and ultimately better control. The PassPort^TM System replaces injections thereby enhancing compliance in patients. This directly correlates to better diabetes control. Upon FDA approval, I can only hope this dandy contraption is warmly welcomed into your doctor's office. As every doctor continues searching for the Holy Grail of patient compliance, tell him to check this out. Talk about patching things up!

The results of some medical studies, ones that track patient behavior, can be really disturbing. I'm thinking of the ones where patients either don't know or don't seem to care that following the treatment prescribed by their doctors could make a huge difference to their health - now and in the future. An example: a new study has shown that women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy are not well-motivated to take good care of themselves. In a nutshell, the study reports that these women are more likely to smoke and less likely to eat healthfully after diagnosis than other pregnant women.

If it's possible to change these womens' behavior through education (and those who conducted this study say yes, it is), then let's do it. Having gestational diabetes is not just a risk during pregnancy; it actually raises your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes down the road. (Women who develop gestational diabetes are more likely to be obese and to have diets low in fruit and vegetable content.) For this reason, it's crucial that women take it seriously. I have to wonder if these women realize gestational diabetes puts them at greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, but most of all I wonder if they really understand the very serious health consequences of having Type 2 diabetes.

The results of this study have been published in Diabetes Care.

It's hard out there for a woman these days. Between work, commuting to work, errands, caring for the family, household chores and scheduled "down time," it's harder than ever to fit in exercise. Yet, we know -- and constantly hear -- how important it is. Well, here's another reason. If you're thinking of having children, a commitment to a consistent workout now can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes when you're pregnant. It's important to do whatever you can to avoid this, because gestational diabetes is a risk factor for subsequently developing Type 2 diabetes. There's also evidence that gestational diabetes can increase a child's later risk of obesity and diabetes. In studying 22,000 women with prior pregancies, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that women with the highest levels of vigorous physical activity were 23 percent less likely to develop gestational diabetes than those who were the least active. They also found that women who watched TV for at least twenty hours each week and did not exercise vigorously were two times more likely to develop gestational diabetes than active women who watched less than two hours of TV a week. I know this means I should get out there and get moving more but I guarantee I'll have a problem with the TV thing. Less than two hours of TV a week? Huh. This is where one of those stationery bikes you have to ride to make a TV work would be the perfect solution.

As a follow-up to my blog earlier today about the diabetes epidemic in Asia, it now appears that -- according to new research from the University of Toronto -- Asian and South Asian women are at a greater risk of developing gestational diabetes than women of Caucasian heritage. The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, points out some complicated and in-depth correlations but here's the upshot: Researchers have long known that ethnicity and obesity can cause diabetes during pregnancy. What they didn't know -- and what this study is the first to point out -- is that the type of ethnicity further magnifies obesity's effect on insulin sensitivity during pregancy. These findings are big news, and study researchers hope this will lead to ethnicity-specific thresholds for overweight and obesity figures. The bottom line is that, no matter your ethnicity, it is important to enter pregnancy at an ideal weight to avoid complications -- and even more so for Asian and South Asian women. Yet another reason to stay active and healthy!