BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Study shows when women develop diabetes during pregnancy and don't get treatment, their kids face an increased risk of childhood obesity, media reported Wednesday.

    If the mother's gestational diabetes wasn't treated, a child's risk of being overweight or obese was 82 percent to 89 percent higher, according to the study.

    Diabetes that develops during pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes, is a common problem for mothers. Pregnancy stresses the body, and some women become resistant to insulin and develop high blood sugar levels, said Teresa Hillier, an endocrinologist and senior investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Northwest and Hawaii in U.S. 

    "The reason we screen for it is because if it's not treated, it causes an increased size of the baby, large birth weight, which causes problems with delivery for the mother and the baby," she said.

    The findings could prompt expectant moms to take more care to comply with diabetes treatment during pregnancy, Hillier said. "If I were a mother, I'd be more motivated to know that it will not only help my baby during the pregnancy, but might decrease their chances of being overweight later on." 

    Why would a mother's diabetes affect a child long after birth? The answer appears to lie in the child's metabolism, which develops during gestation and may be disrupted by the mother's high blood sugar levels, Hillier said.

    (Agencies)