April 4 (UPI) -- A study from the University of Queensland Australia has shown that women who gain weight leading up to pregnancy increase their risk of gestational diabetes.
Researchers followed more than 3,000 women between age 18 and 23 using the Women's Health Australia study from 1996.
They found women who gained more than 2.5 percent of their body weight each year prior to pregnancy had a nearly three times increased risk of gestational diabetes compared to women who maintained their weight.
Obesity is a risk factor for gestational diabetes, which can cause large birth weight babies, birth complications and other long-term health issues for both mothers and babies. Researchers found that even women who were not obese but gained weight were at an increased risk.
"Women with only a small weight gain each year [1.5 to 2.5 percent of body weight] doubled their risk of gestational diabetes," Akilew Adane, a researcher at the University of Queensland's School of Public Health, said in a press release. "Surprisingly, even women who were underweight or in the normal BMI range had an increased risk of gestational diabetes when they gained weight -- even if they remained within the healthy weight category. Women with small weight gains within the healthy BMI range doubled their risk of gestational diabetes compared to women whose weight remained stable."
Researchers stressed the importance of women and their doctors are aware of the risk of gestational diabetes even if in a healthy BMI range.
The study was published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.
