Type 2 Diabetes - Leptin Levels During Pregnancy Could Be The Cause of Children Being Fat

Children of women with diabetes are at high risk for obesity. Investigators at University College Dublin and National Maternity Hospital in Ireland compared the leptin levels in infants of diabetic and non-diabetic mothers to try to discover what could be putting their children at a high risk for having too much fat.
Leptin is a hormone made by your fat cells and is important for regulating fat and energy. Leptin tells your body when your fat cells are full and when to turn off your appetite. Some people's brain have leptin resistance, similar to insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes. Although obese people have plenty of leptin, their brain for some reason does not get the signal their fat cells are full and therefore keeps their appetite at inappropriately high levels.
The Irish study, published in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics in November 2012, included 80 pregnant women:

• 40 were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes before pregnancy,
• 10 with Type 2 diabetes diagnosed before pregnancy, and
• 30 without diabetes.

It was found the infants of women with diabetes had higher levels of leptin than infants of the non-diabetic women. Women with high body mass also had infants with high leptin levels. Among women with diabetes, those with the highest HbA1c levels had infants with high leptin levels.
From these results it was concluded the children of mothers with diabetes or a high body mass, could be resistant to leptin as a result of having overly high levels of the hormone. Resistance to leptin could cause the problems with overeating and obesity often seen in children of diabetic mothers.
Infant abnormalities associated with diabetic mothers include:

• overweight,
• broken shoulders during birth (due to being overweight),
• heart abnormalities,
• lung immaturity,
• yellow skin and eyes,
• low blood sugar,
• lethargy,
• poor feeding, and
• tremors.

Add to the list leptin resistance, and you have one more reason to control Type 2 diabetes before and during pregnancy.
Diabetic mothers risk having to have Caesarian deliveries if their babies are too big to be delivered through the birth canal. Women's diabetes can really go out of control during pregnancy.
Diabetic women who are thinking of pregnancy:

• need to normalize their weight,
• eat a healthy, low-fat and low sugar diet, and
• get enough exercise.

Ideally blood sugar levels should be within normal limits due to lean body weight, proper nutrition, and physical activity. If that goal can be achieved, then both mother and baby will be safer during pregnancy, there will be less risk of birth defects, and obesity could be less of a risk throughout the baby's childhood and adult life.

Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must live with. It need not slowly and inevitably get worse. You can take control of the disease; take back your health and prevent health issues during pregnancy.
For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

Source: EzineArticles.com