Previous studies have shown that myo-insitol may restore fertility in polycystic ovary syndrome, but this is the first evidence it may reduce the number of gestational diabetes cases, says lead author Dr. Rosario D'Anna.
Women who are overweight or obese or have a family history of diabetes are at risk for gestational diabetes, which affects 10 percent of pregnancies. Those with the condition have trouble controlling their carbohydrates, which therefore leads to high blood sugar.
"Undiagnosed and untreated gestational diabetes can cause large for gestational diabetes babies, which may lead to delivery complications," says Dr. D'Anna, who is at the Department of Obstetrics at University Hospital in Messina, Italy.
220 pregnant women with a family history of Type 2 diabetes were part of the study. Half of the women were given two grams of myo-insitol supplements twice a day along with the recommended amount of folic acid. The other women were given just the folic acid from the end of the first trimester.
Myo-insitol is available in the United States without a prescription and costs $10 for 60 650 millograms. It is also found in fruits, nuts, grains, and meats, but not in high concentrations.
Of those who took the myo-insitol, just six percent developed gestational diabetes, compared to 15 percent who took just the folic acid. None of the babies in the myo-insitol group met criteria for being overweight, but seven babies in the folic acid group did, weighing more than eight pounds, 13 ounces.
Even though these results are positive, it doesn't mean the supplement works or is safe. "The results are promising, but we would need a larger trial and a broader group of women before we could recommend this supplement," says Dr. Wanda Nicholson, who studies gestational diabetes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Even though their blood sugar levels usually return to normal after pregnancy, women need to continue to diet and exercise. "Up to 50 percent of women in general who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes can develop Type 2 diabetes in the next five to 10 years," says Nicholson.
Dr. Donald Coustan of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence says, "There's really nothing currently recommended to prevent gestational diabetes" other than maintaining a healthy weight before getting pregnant.
The number of women getting the condition has been rising for the last 10 years. "There's great concern that we're going to be inundated with patients with gestational diabetes," says Coustan.
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Gestational diabetes is a fairly common complication of pregnancy, affecting approximately almost every tenth lady.So taking a good care may prevent from the further damage.
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