The Genetics of Weight and Diabetes
Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 5:22PM A few weeks back I attended an international conference on pregnancy induced diabetes also known gestational diabetes. Little did I know the surprise I was in for with the most fascinating and disturbing information I have ever heard on these topics. Over the next few blogs I’ll share some of those insights, some of which may surprise you.
The conference gave details of what happens in the womb to determine whether or not you become overweight or have a predisposition towards diabetes.
A prominent topic we hear about in research is inflammation in the body. Inflammation is believed to be the precursor of most medical issues – weight, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis to name a few.
Excess weight or fat prior to pregnancy can significantly increase the chances of the placenta transferring inflammatory hormones to the baby. These hormones can increase the baby’s chance of an increased body fat or a higher triglyceride level.
What does this mean? Babies born to overweight or diabetic moms have 
almost double the body fat of normal weight or non-diabetic moms. Starting out with a higher body fat as an infant drives obesity in childhood and adulthood. A higher triglyceride level (the storage form of fat in the blood) can increase the risk of fatty liver disease and obesity in children.
What is the take home message here? It depends on where you are in your journey of life. If you are planning to become pregnant it is in the best interest of your future child to have the healthiest body and diet before conception.
If you are someone who struggles with weight or diabetes, it is important to know that part of your struggle happened before you even entered the world. I have struggled my whole life with managing my weight and working hard not to become diabetic. After this conference I had much more empathy for myself in this journey. I knew I had power over my lifestyle factors but the backbone of the struggle I had no control over.
Work with your body and know there is hope. Keep your diet clean, exercise as much as you can, and get your rest. One bright spot presented with this information was the power of omega 3 fats to promote resolution of the inflammation both in vitro and later in life. Daily fish oil and flax seed is one easy thing to add to your lifestyle regimen – even if you are not planning to have a baby all too soon.