Pre-Conception Diabetes Prevention and Pesticides

The metabolic syndrome, poor dietary habits, family histories, and sedentary lifestyles, are all known risk factors for women to develop gestational diabetes, but do pesticides also play a role? Farm labor and wives of male farmers do occasionally come in contact with pesticide concentrates, drift, and residues, but information on how such exposures impact diabetes is limited. The following link, which I accessed earlier today, is an example of the uncertainty which surrounds connections between pesticides and diabetes:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_46736.html

This link is available on the Internet for a limited period of time. Please write to me for the substance of information available on this link if you happen to try and access it after it has been removed.

I think it is best to separate the issues of pre-conception diabetes prevention and exposure to pesticides. Diet and exercise should suffice to keep gestational diabetes at bay, and close monitoring of glycosylated hemoglobin throughout pregnancy will ensure that both mother and fetus stay well.

Pesticide exposure has a number of risks apart from the open question of diabetes, and it is safest if all women of child bearing age avoid contact with these chemical toxins in any form.

Gestational diabetes and pesticide exposure have serious consequences for fetal development. Health literacy about such matters is a crucial part of pre-conception care.

Please mail me if you would like more information about gestational diabetes, pesticide exposure, and how to manage such risks.