Can you eat oranges if you have gestational diabetes?

Written by Luo Juan
Endocrinology
Updated on January 25, 2025
00:00
00:00

Pregnant women with gestational diabetes can eat oranges, but they should limit the quantity. Since oranges are high in sugar, they should not be consumed in large amounts. In fact, just like mothers with diabetes or those who are pregnant, they need nutrients such as calories, protein, calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin B, etc. However, attention should be paid to meal frequency. Under a constant total caloric intake, it is advisable to eat small and frequent meals, focusing on the quality and quantity of the diet to maintain stable blood sugar levels. It is necessary to limit the quantity of fruit consumed and avoid fruits that are high in sugar as they should not be consumed in large amounts. Therefore, pregnant women with gestational diabetes can eat oranges, but should not consume them in large quantities and should maintain proper portion control.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Yin Xing
Obstetrics
1min 2sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of gestational diabetes?

Diabetes during pregnancy, compared to diabetes outside of pregnancy, still presents symptoms such as polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria, but does not manifest as weight loss. Due to the increase in body weight from the enlarging uterus, fetus, and amniotic fluid during pregnancy, signs of weight loss are not evident. There are generally two types of diabetes in pregnancy. One is when diabetes pre-exists before pregnancy, which is termed diabetes mellitus with pregnancy; the other is when blood sugar levels were normal before pregnancy and diabetes develops during pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes. Over 90% of pregnant women with diabetes have gestational diabetes. Those with gestational diabetes have abnormal glucose metabolism, but most can return to normal after childbirth; however, the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future increases.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Yin Xing
Obstetrics
1min 30sec home-news-image

Can pregnant women with gestational diabetes eat grapes?

Fruits are natural vitamins, and consuming fruits appropriately during pregnancy is extremely significant for supplementing vitamins, which can promote fetal growth. Patients with gestational diabetes are not entirely forbidden from eating fruits; however, it's essential to control the intake of fruits, ideally between 100 to 150 grams per day. Grapes are not completely off-limits, but since grapes have a high sugar content, if consumed, the quantity should be controlled to avoid eating too much. Opting for fruits like kiwis and apples, which have lower sugar content, is a better choice for those with gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes can affect both the pregnant woman and the fetus. For the pregnant woman, it can increase the rate of miscarriages and is likely to complicate with gestational hypertension. Lowered immunity can lead to infections, particularly urinary and reproductive system infections, may cause excessive amniotic fluid, and increase the likelihood of difficult labor due to a larger baby. The impact on the fetus can lead to congenital disabilities, a significantly large baby, or restricted fetal growth, so it is crucial to control blood sugar levels during pregnancy. While ensuring the pregnant woman is not hungry, insulin can be used when necessary to maintain stable blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Xie
Endocrinology
44sec home-news-image

Effects of gestational diabetes on the fetus

The impact of gestational diabetes on the fetus mainly manifests in early stages as spontaneous miscarriage, fetal malformations, and abnormal fetal development. As the fetus grows, the high maternal blood sugar levels can lead to a large fetus, which increases the risk of birth injuries during delivery. Due to the high insulin levels in the mother, the fetus may have hyperinsulinemia, which can cause recurrent hypoglycemia at birth. Additionally, the development and maturation of the fetal lungs are delayed, making the newborn more susceptible to respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, gestational diabetes also increases the risk of preterm birth.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Zhuo
Endocrinology
1min 7sec home-news-image

Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes refers to the onset of different levels of hyperglycemia during pregnancy, or first diagnosed during pregnancy, including previously unrecognized glucose intolerance and diabetes before pregnancy. Typical clinical manifestations of gestational diabetes include symptoms such as polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia, or recurrent Candida infections of the vulva and vagina. If a pregnant woman weighs more than 90 kilograms, presents with polyhydramnios, or has a macrosomic fetus during this pregnancy, there should be a high degree of vigilance for the possibility of gestational diabetes. Its dangers lie in severe cases or poorly controlled blood sugar in gestational diabetes, which not only tends to lead to miscarriage and preterm birth but also can cause infections, and in severe cases, may lead to ketoacidosis. Therefore, dietary control and medication are very important for managing gestational diabetes.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Xie
Endocrinology
1min 12sec home-news-image

Gestational diabetes blood sugar standards

The diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes involve a pregnant woman undergoing a 75-gram glucose test at any time during pregnancy to measure fasting blood glucose, blood glucose one hour after consuming glucose, and blood glucose two hours after consuming glucose. The thresholds are: fasting blood glucose equal to or greater than 5.1 mmol/L, blood glucose one hour after glucose intake equal to or greater than 10.0 mmol/L, and blood glucose two hours after glucose intake equal to or greater than 8.5 mmol/L. Diagnosis of gestational diabetes can be made if blood glucose levels exceed these standards at any of the three time points. In China, pregnant women typically undergo the 75-gram glucose test between the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy. Women at high risk for gestational diabetes are advised to undergo the 75-gram glucose test early.