Hello everyone,
It's great to be back with the new team of PCOS course graduates! I hope you enjoyed Susan Dopart's recipe and that other contributions will be educational and practically useful.
Today I wanted to share some recent findings about the effects of elevated glucose on a developing baby. If you have PCOS and you are pregnant, you are at risk for gestational diabetes. I realized while reading this study that rarely is the effect of hyperglycemia on the fetus ever discussed. You might hear that it can effect your weight and the baby's weight, but can it do anything else? Some researchers think so.
A group of chick eggs were injected with glucose. Significant changes were found in the babies that developed from those eggs, including:
--their own hyperglycemia
--elevated oxidative (degenerative) activity in body and brain tissue
--lower body weight
--lower brain weight
There also seems to be lower levels of DHA in babies exposed to hyperglycemia. This may be due to the elevated oxidative activity destroying any DHA that might be there.
You're likely aware that taking folate is pretty much an across the board recommendation to pregnant women. In this study, hyperglycemia seemed to induce a level of oxidation/inflammation that was not significantly helped with a folate supplement.
Bottom line, it's important to eat well not just to avoid weight gain or to keep your blood sugar low to keep your doctor and dietitian happy, but because your baby's brain and body depend on you to do so.
I did not write this post to scare you, I did it to make you aware. However, if you're feeling as if you now don't know what's right to eat, or you're trying and having a hard time, please take a look at the right hand of this blog screen. There is a whole list of professionals ready and waiting to help you figure it out.
Most of my clients express surprise that healthy eating includes as many tasty foods as it does. So before you write off a visit to the dietitian because you're afraid of what you WON'T be able to eat, consider that it may be your ticket to freedom and guilt relief to work with someone who can introduce you to the many foods that will BENEFIT you and baby!
Cole NW, Weaver KR, Walcher BN, Adams ZF, Miller RR Jr. Hyperglycemia-induced membrane lipid peroxidation and elevated homocysteine levels are poorly attenuated by exogenous folate in embryonic chick brains. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2008 Jul;150(3):338-43.
