Supplement Could Reduce Risk of Gestational Diabetes in Pregnant Women

Women who enter pregnancy with a higher body weight face serious risks: higher rates of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and the risk of a larger baby who could go on to have obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the future. But a nutritional supplement, already shown to benefit fetal brain and vasculature development, could reduce those risks in both mother and child. That's why a nutrition researcher at the University of Cincinnati is launching a local, two-year clinical trial to study the effects of the supplement in pregnant women.

Principal investigator Debra Krummel, PhD, UC department of nutritional sciences, believes the nutrient, omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), can lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity in pregnant women. Krummel says DHA has proven benefits, but most women do not get an adequate amount of it in their diet. "It's already been shown to be safe and good for the brain, but we're studying whether it might have another benefit, which is improving insulin resistance," she says...more