New Delhi– Women with a history of gestational diabetes can reduce their future risk of heart disease by up to 86 percent by maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, according to a new global study.
Gestational diabetes, marked by elevated blood sugar during pregnancy, is one of the most common pregnancy-related complications worldwide and has long been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life.
The study found that women who consistently followed five key healthy lifestyle behaviors—maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, engaging in regular physical activity, eating a high-quality diet, and consuming alcohol in moderation—had a significantly lower risk of developing CVD compared to women who did not adopt these habits.
Among women who followed all five habits consistently, no cardiovascular events were reported over a follow-up period of nearly 28 years.
“Our findings suggest that CVD is not an inevitable outcome for women with a history of gestational diabetes,” said Dr. Yang Jiaxi, Senior Research Fellow at NUS Medicine, Singapore. “Even modest lifestyle improvements after pregnancy can significantly reduce future heart risk.”
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), the study tracked more than 4,300 women who had previously experienced gestational diabetes but were free of heart disease and type 2 diabetes at the start of the study.
Researchers emphasized the importance of maintaining healthy behaviors over time, noting that improvements in lifestyle were linked to reduced heart disease risk, while declines in these behaviors increased the risk significantly.
“These findings once again underscore the importance of continued follow-up for women who experience high blood sugar in pregnancy,” said Professor Zhang Cuilin of NUS Medicine. (Source: IANS)
