Take the new study findings with a grain of salt
The risk of gestational diabetes, which usually comes to the forefront during a woman’s second trimester, was found to be higher when a rise in air temperature was present.
The study was led by a team of researchers in Canada and focused on 500,000 births that occurred over a 12-year period in the Toronto area. They ultimately found that women in the group who were exposed to temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit or higher were more likely to develop gestational diabetes than those exposed to extreme cold weather — 14 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
The study’s lead author Dr. Gillian Booth hopes that the results will help women minimize their risk factors during their pregnancy.
“For example, turning down the thermostat and getting outside in the winter, or using air conditioning in summer, and avoiding excess layers in hot weather may help to lower the risk of gestational diabetes,” explains Booth, according to HealthDay.
Currently the percentage of pregnant women who develop gestational diabetes is as high as 9.2%, according to American Diabetes Association.
Whether a woman who develops gestational diabetes will continue to have diabetes after giving birth is not an assumption that’s easily made by physicians. While the results of the Canadian Medical Association Journal’s published study are noteworthy, other physicians encourage pregnant women to take the results with a grain of salt as more research is needed.
“”Pregnant women or those wanting to become pregnant should not pay attention to this finding at this time, as more studies are needed to show a true causal effect,” said Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the clinical diabetes center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, according to HealthDay. Zonszein was not involved in the study.
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