Myo-Inositol Improves Both Maternal Health During Pregnancy and Health of the Newborn

by | Mar 13, 2018 | 2013, Diabetes, Infant and Children's Health, Pregnancy and Lactation, Women's Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Myo-inositol, which has shown potential to help maintain healthy insulin levels in women with gestational diabetes, may benefit not only women during pregnancy, but also their newborns.

women's health - pregnancyGestational diabetes is defined as “any degree of glucose intolerance during pregnancy” (1). The condition affects approximately 7% of all U.S. pregnancies, resulting in more than 200,000 cases each year (2). In addition to costing our healthcare system more than $636 million in 2010 (3), gestational diabetes can also raise blood sugar levels in newborns, eventually getting stored as fat and result in “macrosomia”, a newborn that is larger than average, weighing more than 8.8 pounds (4).

Although any woman can develop gestational diabetes, some women are at greater risk. Risk factors for the development of gestational diabetes include age greater than 25, pre-pregnancy prediabetes (slightly elevated blood sugar), being overweight, having a family history of diabetes, having developed gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy, having delivered a baby weighing more than 9 pounds, and non-white race.

Now a 2013 study (5) suggests that myo-inositol, which has shown potential to help maintain healthy insulin levels in women with gestational diabetes (6), may benefit not only women during pregnancy, but also their newborns. Myo-inositol is the form of inositol that is the most prevalent in nature. Food sources include cereals, corn, legumes, and meat.

The present study involved 220 healthy pregnant Caucasian women that had at least with one parent with type 2 diabetes. They were given either 2,000 milligrams of myo-inositol and 200 micrograms of folic acid (110 patients) or just 200 micrograms of folic acid (control group, 110 patients) twice daily from the end of their first trimester through birth. The subjects and their newborns were then followed for another year and a half. 23 women did not complete the study due to various reasons unrelated to the study treatment. No adverse effects of the treatment were noted.

The following results were observed at the end of the pregnancy term:

What Was MeasuredMyo-Inositol/Folic Acid Group (n=99)Folic Acid (Control Group)(n=98)P-Value
Gestational Diabetes Diagnosis6.0 % of subjects*15.3% of subjects0.04
Blood Sugar Control (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test)77 milligrams/deciliter80.5 mg/dL0.001
Incidence of MacrosomiaNone7 Babies0.007

*This translated to a 65% reduced risk of getting gestational diabetes for those taking myo-inositol compared to the control group.

For the researchers, “this is the first report on myo-inositol supplementation preventing gestational diabetes occurrence in women with only a family history of type 2 diabetes” and “a reduced incidence of gestational diabetes and fetal macrosomia in this selected group of women at risk is good news, even if larger studies are needed to confirm this preliminary report.”

Source: D’Anna, Rosario, Angela Scilipoti, Domenico Giordano, Carmela Caruso, Maria Letizia Cannata, Maria Lieta Interdonato, Francesco Corrado, and Antonino Di Benedetto. “myo-Inositol supplementation and onset of gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women with a family history of type 2 diabetes: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study.” Diabetes care 36, no. 4 (2013): 854-857.

© 2013 by the American Diabetes Association

Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, practices in Hauppauge, NY. As a Certified Strength and Condition Specialist and certified baseball pitching coach with the National Pitching Association, Dr. Arnold specializes in nutrition, conditioning, and injury prevention of baseball pitchers and student-athletes from all athletic backgrounds. Dr. Arnold completed his Chiropractic studies at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, IL. Visit his web site at www.pitchingdoc.com.

References:

  1. Metzger BE, Coustan DR (Eds.): Proceedings of the Fourth International Work-shop-Conference on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Care 21 (Suppl. 2):B1–B167, 1998
  2. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.  Diabetes Care 2003; 26: 103S-105S
  3. Dall TM.  The Economic Burden Of Diabetes.  Health Affairs, Supplement 2010; 29(2): 297-303
  4. “Gestational Diabetes” posted on the American Diabetes Association Website
  5. D’Anna R. myo-Inositol Supplementation and Onset of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnant WomenWith a Family History of Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2013 Apr;36(4):854-7. doi: 10.2337/dc12-1371. Epub 2013 Jan 22
  6. Corrado F, D’Anna R, Di Vieste G, et al. The effect of myoinositol supplementation on insulin resistance in patients with gestational diabetes. Diabet Med 2011;28: 972–975