Risks With A Diet High In Sugar During Pregnancy
A diet high in sugar can have health complications for everyone, but especially during pregnancy. The complications can be much greater, and the risk of developing diseases in the future increases.
Pregnancy is a stage that comes with many changes. The body prepares to create a new life, and this includes transformations throughout the body.
What happens during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a crucial stage. Here are various processes of growth, metabolic adaptation and preparation for life outside the womb.
It is a situation where the mother has changes in the concentration of glucose and plasma lipids, as well as changes in hormones, such as insulin. In the same way, there is also a certain resistance to this hormone.
In fact, this is done to ensure that glucose reaches the mother’s brain and the fetus. It also conducts glucose to the mammary gland and reduces the use of the other organs.
Pregnancy and sugar metabolism
In some women, carbohydrate metabolism changes throughout pregnancy. This change leads to high blood sugar levels at fasting, above normal values.
When blood sugar and insulin levels during fasting are normal, or even low, after carbohydrate intake, blood sugar rises above normal values. These changes are more pronounced in the third trimester of pregnancy.
During pregnancy, as we mentioned, the body becomes more resistant to insulin. In this way, the body sometimes needs more of this hormone to metabolize the sugar in the food. When you do not have enough or no insulin, glucose builds up in your blood.
If your body does not regulate glucose properly during pregnancy, in many cases there may be changes that seriously affect the development of the fetus. They can also predispose you to diabetes in adulthood.
Diet high in sugar during pregnancy and diabetes
In addition to what we mentioned above, a mother can follow a diet high in sugar during pregnancy, which can change this situation even more. Then gestational diabetes can occur. This is where diabetes is diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy.
It is usually a transient condition in which a pregnant woman cannot produce enough insulin or becomes resistant to it, leading to higher blood sugar levels.
Gestational diabetes
Pregnant women with this disorder have a higher risk of suffering from certain disorders such as the following:
- High blood pressure
- Diseases associated with diabetes
- Cesarean section
Several studies also show that 50% of patients with gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next 10 years.
What should you eat during pregnancy?
The first thing to keep in mind is that diet is the key to preventing gestational diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, a healthy diet during pregnancy has enough energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.
To do this, make sure you get enough of these foods:
- Vegetables and fruits
- Lean red meat
- Fish
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Whole grains
Do not forget that in the case of diabetes, the treatment consists of daily control of blood sugar, a healthy diet and physical exercise. If the blood sugar level is too high, your doctor will prescribe the necessary medication.
A diet high in sugar during pregnancy is not recommended
Nutrition training and counseling is a widely used strategy to improve the nutritional status of women during pregnancy. In addition, it helps prevent future complications.
The strategy mainly focuses on the following elements:
- Improve the quality of the mother’s diet, given the amount of food consumed.
- Promote appropriate weight gain through an adequate and balanced diet.
It is important to take advice from doctors and nutritionists to follow a healthy diet with little sugar. Likewise, daily physical activity is important during pregnancy.
