If you’re an expectant mother with Type 1, your overall blood sugar control might determine your child’s success in school, a new study suggests.
The Danish study reviewed the school records of about 700 elementary kids who had mothers with Type 1, as well as the records of over 60,000 students of mothers with functioning pancreases, according to a Reuters article. Researchers at Aarhus University Hospital looked at the medical records of the mothers with diabetes and noticed a connection between blood sugar control and academic achievement. The mothers who maintained good glycemic control before and during pregnancy had children who achieved above average grades, while those who maintained poor blood glucose control before and during pregnancy had children who scored lower than average grades.
Socioeconomic factors may have been at least partly in play with these results. However, when researchers adjusted for the usual connection found between a mother’s educational level and a student’s good grades, the differences in academic achievement persisted among the children of mothers with Type 1.
While it’s far too early to conclude that glycemic control is directly influencing a child’s developing brain in the womb, researchers think the notion should be explored in future research. Still, such results should provide expectant mothers with Type 1 extra incentive to maintain good blood sugar control.
Of course, on the flip side, no one is suggesting that one bad day of blood glucose control will doom your future child’s chances of getting into Harvard. Blood glucose control during pregnancy is a process that no one has perfected, and that’s okay. To read more about the experiences of expectant moms with Type 1, go to http://insulinnation.com/living/diabetes-pregnancy/ and http://insulinnation.com/living/how-i-handled-pregnancy-with-type-1/
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