The third kind of diabetes, gestational diabetes, is temporary during pregnancy. However, our recent studies show that diabetes in one family member is related to diabetes in other family members.
Couples Share Diabetes Risk
In most cases, Type 2 and gestational diabetes are related to genetics, lower physical activity, and less healthy ways of eating. Improving diet and physical activity can cut Type 2 diabetes risk by half. Studies have shown that many women with gestational diabetes go on to develop Type 2 diabetes in the decade after pregnancy.If the mother had both gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension—temporary high blood pressure during pregnancy—the father was 80 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes in the future.
What About the Kids?
We had information on the children of the couples we studied, from birth to 22 years old. More than 90 percent of diabetes that starts before the age of 22 in most Canadian provinces is Type 1, not Type 2.Gestational Diabetes is a Family Affair
We don’t yet know why there is a link between gestational diabetes in mothers and Type 1 in young people. The important thing to remember though is that gestational diabetes is a family affair.Future Type 2 diabetes can be prevented in many family members within the home environment—by eating more home-cooked, healthy meals and fruits and vegetables, by reducing fried foods and eating out, and with a whole-family emphasis on being active.
Type 1 diabetes, though rare, might also be diagnosed earlier in children and teens, with an awareness of the link to moms’ gestational diabetes.