They suggest that "in women with glucose intolerance during pregnancy, type 2 diabetes and vascular disease may develop in parallel, which is consistent with the "common soil" hypothesis for these conditions."

Current screening procedures for gestational diabetes might also provide a means for the early identification of women who are at risk for developing heart disease later in life.

In a related commentary cmaj/press/cmaj091396.pdf, Dr. J. Kennedy Cruickshank and Dr. Moulinath Banerjee of the Manchester Royal Infirmary, University of Manchester, UK write that "what the study by Retnakaran and Shah shows is that we all have a great deal to learn from sub-clinical blood vessel changes in younger women who are likely overweight during pregnancy."

They suggest that diabetes research should focus on the blood vessel rather than glycemia.

Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal