To understand gestational diabetes, we first need to understand what insulin is, and how it helps to control your blood glucose (sugar) levels. Normally, glucose in the blood causes the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin, which helps to get the glucose inside cells, where it can be used for energy. The amount, timing and effect of the insulin secretion are all geared to produce a smooth response, gradually clearing glucose from the blood.
Carbohydrate-rich foods - such as potatoes, white pasta, white bread, pastries and cake - have the potential to cause spikes in glucose. Carbohydrates are broken down as sugars in the stomach, and then transported through the blood. Glucose isn’t bad in itself - in fact, you need this sugar to produce energy. However, because a pregnant woman’s body is busy producing human placental lactogen (a special hormone that nourishes the growing foetus through the placenta), her pancreas often has a difficult time producing enough insulin.
Philippa Bredenkamp, a Joburg-based dietician says, “Gestational diabetes develops for the first time during pregnancy. The reason why this happens is that
