Can you eat melon seeds with gestational diabetes?

Written by Xu Dong Dong
Endocrinology
Updated on January 14, 2025
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Patients with gestational diabetes can eat sunflower seeds, but the amount must be controlled and should not be excessive. Each serving should be a small handful, as sunflower seeds contain a high amount of fat. Consuming too much can lead to increased blood sugar and lipids, which is not conducive to controlling blood sugar. When eating sunflower seeds, try to choose plain raw or roasted sunflower seeds, and avoid those with sweet flavors or other heavy flavorings added. Patients with gestational diabetes can also eat nuts in moderation, but the amount should be controlled to about the equivalent of two large walnuts per day, and it is best to consume them between meals.

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How to reduce blood sugar in gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes cannot be treated with oral medications, as they can affect the fetus. Currently, the main treatment for gestational diabetes in China is insulin, with options for short-acting or rapid-acting insulin. If fasting blood glucose is high, long-acting insulin can be used to control fasting blood glucose levels. If post-meal blood glucose is high, short-acting or rapid-acting insulin can be used to control post-meal blood glucose levels. The blood glucose control standards for gestational diabetes are fasting blood glucose between 4.0 and 5.3, and two hours post-meal blood glucose between 4.4 and 6.7.

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How to treat gestational diabetes?

The treatment principle for gestational diabetes is to control blood sugar and then ensure the normal development of the child. There are many methods to control blood sugar. First, it involves diet management guided by a doctor, adjusting the diet's structure and quantity, followed by post-meal exercise. If after a week of adjusted diet and post-meal exercise, blood sugar levels still do not meet the standards, insulin injections can be used to keep the pregnant woman's blood sugar within the prescribed range. This can help reduce the impact of diabetes on the fetus and the pregnant woman.

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Impact of gestational diabetes on the fetus and pregnant women

The effects of gestational diabetes on the mother mainly include an increased risk of miscarriage, concurrent conditions such as gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, as well as the potential for diabetic ketoacidosis. The presence of a large fetus can lead to difficult labor, damage to the birth canal, prolonged surgical delivery, and an increased likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage. Additionally, women with gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing the condition again in future pregnancies. In terms of long-term effects, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes significantly increases after experiencing gestational diabetes. For the fetus, the impacts of gestational diabetes primarily manifest as an increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage, congenital anomalies, and abnormal development. There is also a heightened risk of hyperinsulinemia, which can even affect the proper development and maturity of the fetal lungs, leading to delays. After birth, conditions such as hypoglycemia and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome are more likely to occur. In the long term, offspring of women with gestational diabetes are at higher risk for glucose intolerance, diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. These conditions significantly increase the risks to the cardiovascular system and can affect neuromotor development.

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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.

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Do you need insulin for gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes refers to the elevated blood glucose levels found during pregnancy. For patients diagnosed with gestational diabetes, we first need to control diet and exercise to manage blood sugar levels, maintaining fasting blood glucose between 4.0-5.3 mmol/L and postprandial (two hours after meals) blood glucose between 4.4-6.7 mmol/L. If blood sugar control can be achieved through diet and exercise, insulin treatment is not required. However, if blood sugar levels still do not meet the standards through diet and exercise, exceeding the figures mentioned earlier, insulin treatment is necessary. For patients receiving insulin treatment, it poses no harm to either the fetus or the mother. In fact, when blood sugar is well-controlled, it can actually reduce the risks associated with gestational diabetes.