The consumption of fast food before pregnancy is a risk factor for gestational diabetes. This is highlighted by a study carried out by researchers from department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the School of Medicine of the University of Navarra.

The work, recently published by the specialized journal PLOS ONE, has been carried out thanks to the follow-up since 1999 of more than 3,000 pregnant women from the project SUN (University of Navarra Follow-up), in which 159 incident cases of gestational diabetes (GD) have been confirmed.

Gestational diabetes is defined as "any Degree of glucose intolerance that begins or is first diagnosed during pregnancy". This disease, one of the most common during gestation, carries negative health effects for mothers and their children. "Between 104,000 and 312,000 cases are diagnosed each year in Europe. These figures continue to grow due to the increase in cases of obesity in women of childbearing age," says Maira Bes-Rastrollo, the senior author of work.

There are different biological mechanisms that explain why a high consumption of fast food (hamburgers, sausages and pizza) can be a risk factor for GD. According to the expert, "the saturated fat and cholesterol content present in red and processed meats and the nitrite precursors of nitrosamines present in processed meats can interfere with the effect of insulin. The end products that can be formed in meat and foods rich in animal fats through heating and processing can also have a detrimental effect on the control of glucose levels".

On the contrary, it has been observed in the USA that the follow-up before pregnancy of a healthy patron saint of per diem expenses such as aMED (alternate Mediterranean), the per diem expenses DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) or the aHEI (alternate Healthy Eating Index), decreases the risk of developing GD. 

Effects of gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes can mean the development of diabetes subject 2 after pregnancy, as well as risks for the children."They are more likely to be obese and to have glucose intolerance and diabetes throughout childhood and in young adulthood," the expert added. She also pointed out that "programs of study recent studies have shown detrimental effects on the implantation and development of the embryo, as well as a association between this condition and the cognitive level and educational of the children".

For all these reasons, it is very important to identify those modifiable lifestyles that can reduce the risk of developing GD. Despite this, this is one of the few programs of study that has identified a nutritional exhibition that can be easily modified to reduce the risk of diabetes in pregnancy.

Together with Professor Maira Bes-Rastrollo, Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, Francisco Javier Basterra-Gortari, Alfredo Gea, all from the University of Navarra, and Ligia Juliana Dominguez and Mario Barbagallo, from the University of Palermo, have participated in the research .