Smart Choices Needed to Prevent and Reverse Gestational Diabetes

Non-diabetic women who have higher than normal blood sugar levels during pregnancy are referred to as having gestational diabetes. In the vast majority of women who have this condition, there are no symptoms of diabetes, and the diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born. But the condition does carry risks for both the mother and the baby, so it is wise to learn how to help avoid this pregnancy complication. Factors that promote insulin resistance increase the risk of gestational diabetes, such as a diet rich in processed carbohydrates and lack of exercise.  Adhering to a high-nutrient, high-fiber, plant-rich diet is protective.

Women with gestational diabetes have a strong likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, and a Nutritarian diet, can eliminate that risk.

Gestational diabetes affects five to ten percent of pregnant women.¹ The condition usually has no symptoms, so cases are commonly diagnosed through screening. American women are checked for elevated glucose early in pregnancy and then again at 24 to 28 weeks. The body requires more insulin during pregnancy, as the placenta produces hormones that reduce insulin sensitivity. Women who are overweight before pregnancy are more prone to the condition because the pancreas is already forced to secrete higher than normal insulin levels due to the excess body fat.

Future Risks for Mother and Baby

If a woman has gestational diabetes during a pregnancy, she is at an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies and type 2 diabetes later in life. One long-term study followed a group of women with gestational diabetes for 30 years and found that half developed type 2 diabetes after eight years and more than 70 percent had diabetes after 28 years.²

Heightened glucose levels during pregnancy increases the size of the baby and often results in delivery complications, often leading to a C-section. It also increases the risk of preeclampsia, and babies of diabetic mothers are at higher risk of underdeveloped lungs, respiratory distress after birth, and an increased risk of obesity and diabetes later in life.

To combat these risks, obstetricians typically prescribe nutritional counseling to women identified as having gestational diabetes, and if that fails, they are placed on oral medications or insulin to lower their blood glucose levels. However, giving medications to lower glucose in gestational diabetics is not effective or sufficient to lower the risks. The poor nutrition that precipitated this problem remains even if blood glucose is lowered through medication. A safer, more effective strategy is a nutrtiarian diet. If women eat the high-nutrient dietary style that I recommend, they can quickly reverse gestational diabetes and prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Reversal is Possible Without Medication

In my book, The End of Diabetes, I discuss the science, the evidence and the program for a precise plan for women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes to quickly achieve healthy glucose levels  and to have a healthy pregnancy. Superior nutrition is the safest and most effective way to accomplish every mother’s goal: to give birth to a healthy baby. Eating nutrient-dense, plant-rich foods is important. Gestational diabetes is a sign of poor nutrition. It is vital that lifestyle changes are initiated to restore normal blood glucose levels as soon as possible, which can be accomplished easily and effectively with the Nutritarian eating style and without the worry of potential harms and side effects from medication.  

1. DeSisto CL, Kim SY, Sharma AJ. Prevalence estimates of gestational diabetes mellitus in the United States, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2007-2010. Prev Chronic Dis 2014, 11:E104.
2. Lobner K, Knopff A, Baumgarten A, et al. Predictors of postpartum diabetes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Diabetes 2006, 55:792-797.