Anaemia lowers the risk of diabetes in pregnancy

Diabetes can develop in some women during pregnancy, but rates of this condition are lower in women with iron deficiency anaemia. Anaemia, rather than being a directly protective factor, may just be an indicator of poor nutrition and low pregnancy-related weight gain, which may reduce the likelihood of so-called gestational diabetes.Researchers from Queen Mary Hospital, in Hong Kong compared 242 pregnant women with iron deficiency anaemia with 484 age-matched women without anaemia who delivered within the same 24-month period. The anaemic group was shorter, had lower body weight before delivery, and included more women who had had several pregnancies. Weight gain during pregnancy was lower in these women than in the comparison group. The likelihood of gestational diabetes mellitus was also 48 percent lower in the anaemic women. It was found that the rates of gestational diabetes dropped as the severity and duration of anaemia went up.
The investigators suggest that maternal iron deficiency anaemia probably acts as a surrogate for general nutritional deficiency. Further studies on the role of nutritional factors in the development of diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus are warranted, especially in developing countries.