Fried Food During Pregnancy Increases The Risk Of Gestational Diabetes

An expectant mother can influence her future child's health if she's eating unhealthy foods. Fried foods, which can contribute to the risk of obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, could also increase the risk of gestational diabetes, according to the findings from a recent study. 

"Refrying may produce more of those detrimental chemicals," said study author Cuilin Zhang, MD, an investigator at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, via TIME.

For the study, researchers gathered data by the Nurses' Health Study II, which interviewed about 15,000 women regarding their diet. After adjusting for body mass index (BMI), they found that women who ate fried food seven or more times per week were 88 percent more likely to have this health issue, which can occur during pregnancy.

Furthermore, the researchers found that women who ate fried foods from a restaurant were more likely to get gestational diabetes.

According to the study, frying in general can increase the risk of bodily inflammation. This, in turn, can increase the risk of gestational diabetes, which typically occurs during week 24 of pregnancy. Though the health issue usually resolves around the 24th week of pregnancy, it can lead to potentially severe complications if left untreated for the mother and her future child.

A healthy diet is just one of many steps to planning a safe and healthy pregnancy. Make sure to talk to your doctor if you're expecting.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Diabetologia.