"Women with Multiple Children Also Reduce Diabetes Risk When Losing Weight"

Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Professors Junho Moon and Hakcheol Jang Team
Improvement of Pancreatic β-Cell Function with Weight Loss

Pregnancy and childbirth are considered one of the causes of diabetes, and a new study has found that women who have given birth to multiple children can also reduce their risk of diabetes by losing weight.

[Image courtesy of Pixabay]

Bundang Seoul National University Hospital announced that a research team led by Professors Moon Junho and Jang Hakcheol (with co-first author Professor Lee Junyeop from the Department of Endocrinology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital) revealed that even women with multiple births can lower their risk of diabetes if they lose weight after childbirth.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when insulin is not properly produced due to the loss of function of pancreatic beta (β) cells, resulting in persistent hyperglycemia. It is generally caused by genetic factors or environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise, but pregnancy and childbirth are also considered causes.

Professor Moon's team conducted a study on 455 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes or gestational glucose intolerance to understand changes in maternal pancreatic β cells due to pregnancy and childbirth. The study compared and analyzed weight, pancreatic β cells, and insulin sensitivity index over four years between women with multiple births (four or more, 79 women) and those with general childbirth (1-3 times, 376 women).

Reduced risk of diabetes with weight loss in multiparous mothers.
[Image provided by Bundang Seoul National University Hospital]

The study found that even with multiple births, if women lost about 2.5 kg over four years, the function of pancreatic β cells improved and the insulin sensitivity index also improved. Conversely, the pancreatic β cell function of women who gained weight after childbirth decreased by as much as 30%.

In the comparative study between women with multiple births and those with general childbirth, pancreatic β cell function and insulin sensitivity were lower in women with multiple births. Analysis of pancreatic β cells in women with multiple births confirmed that repeated stress from pregnancy and childbirth caused the β cells to lose their proliferative ability and undergo aging, evidenced by shortened telomere length.

The research team explained that although women with multiple births have a higher risk of decreased pancreatic β cell function compared to women with general childbirth, weight loss can prevent the risk of diabetes. They also emphasized that the study results highlight the importance of weight loss after childbirth.

Professor Moon Junho of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital advised, "The pancreatic β cells of women with multiple births gradually age and their insulin secretion ability decreases through repeated expansion and contraction processes. Active weight loss after childbirth is necessary to improve pancreatic β cell function and prevent diabetes."

Professor Moon added, "The 2023 clinical guidelines of the Korean Diabetes Association actively recommend activities such as dietary therapy, exercise, and breastfeeding that help with weight loss to reduce the risk of diabetes."

Meanwhile, this study was published in 'Experimental & Molecular Medicine (EMM)', an SCI-level journal affiliated with the prestigious journal 'Nature'.

Professor Jang Jang-cheol (left) and Professor Moon Jun-ho of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital. [Photo by Bundang Seoul National University Hospital]