Red Light Therapy and Gestational Diabetes

Let's talk about something crucial that most expectant moms don’t know. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death worldwide. Shocking, right but what has that got to do with Gestational Diabetes? Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a 63% higher risk of developing CVD. You might want to sit down for the next bit.

In a 2024 paper from the European Journal of Obs, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology moms with a history of both Gestational Diabetes and high blood pressure in pregnancy have a 23-fold increased risk of a heart attack within the first 5 years of their postpartum lives.

During a typical pregnancy, the β-cells (beta cells) in your pancreas multiply and grow larger to meet the increased metabolic demands of all of the changes taking place and of course - growing your baby. Outside of pregnancy your blood glucose levels rise and your insulin removes the ‘sugar’ from your bloodstream. But with GDM, things are different. Your beta cells don’t keep up with the huge metabolic demands of pregnancy, and when combined with reduced insulin sensitivity (so your body can share some of the glucose with your baby), this leads to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). There is ongoing debate about how Gestational Diabetes is diagnosed as different countries have different cut-offs.

Every process your body automatically does, relies on energy. You eat something, your body processes the food down to smaller and smaller molecules until eventually, mitochondria convert it into a special kind of energy called ATP. This is the currency that fuels every single action/activity happening in the body. When that energy stops being produced in our body - the clinical term is known as ‘death’.

Mitochondrial Health

Think of mitochondria as the powerhouses of your cells. They produce the energy (ATP) your body needs to function and support your growing baby. Healthy mitochondria mean your cells have the energy to do their jobs well, from helping your muscles work to keeping your heart pumping. During pregnancy, your body’s energy demands increase, so your mitochondria have to work even harder. If they’re not healthy, it can lead to higher risks of complications for both you and your baby. By taking care of these little powerhouses, you’re supporting a smoother, healthier pregnancy for you and your little one.

Understanding these changes and the role of mitochondrial dysfunction can help you take proactive steps to manage your health during and after pregnancy.

GDM isn't just a short-term hiccup in pregnancy resulting in recommendations of exercise, low glycemic foods and stress reduction (most moms aren’t even getting the message about reducing stress). GD can bring a bunch of health challenges both during and after pregnancy for you and your baby. Along with the usual pregnancy stresses, GDM is associated with more mood concerns. There’s also an increased risk of preterm birth and preeclampsia.

But it doesn't stop there. About 60% of women who had GDM will go on to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Plus, if you've had GDM before, each additional pregnancy triples your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Women with a history of GDM have a yearly 2-3% chance of transitioning to type 2 diabetes.

Emerging evidence also shows that GDM can cause lasting changes in your blood vessels, setting the stage for cardiovascular issues down the line. This isn't just about numbers—it's about your long-term health and well-being.

How Does GD Impact Your Baby?

Your baby is entirely dependent on your body to develop. How you take care of yourself in pregnancy impacts how your baby is growing.

GDM can lead to short- and long-term consequences for your baby. The increased placental transport of glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids stimulates your baby’s insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) production. This can cause your baby to grow too large, often resulting in macrosomia at birth. This isn’t just about having a big baby—it's a serious condition that can lead to complications during birth, like shoulder dystocia, which is a form of obstructed labor. Even your provider’s fear of a big baby changes how you are cared for during your pregnancy and making induction and other interventions more likely - even though baby’s weight is an estimate and not accurate in the 3rd trimester. Here’s some positive birth stories from moms who were told to expect a big baby (and some who weren’t).

Excess fetal insulin production can stress your baby’s developing pancreatic β-cells, leading to dysfunction and insulin resistance even before birth. After birth, these babies are at higher risk for hypoglycemia due to their reliance on maternal glucose levels, which can lead to brain injury if not properly managed.

There's also an increased risk of stillbirth associated with GDM. Long-term, babies born from GDM pregnancies face higher risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other metabolic issues. Kids born to moms with GDM nearly double their risk of developing childhood obesity compared to those born to non-diabetic moms, even after adjusting for factors like maternal BMI. Impaired glucose tolerance can show up as early as five years old.

For girls, the cycle can continue—girls are more likely to experience GDM in their own pregnancies, contributing to an intergenerational cycle of GDM and its associated risks.

It’s heavy stuff I know, but applied knowledge is power. Being aware of these risks means you can take steps to manage your health and your baby’s health now and in the future.

Mitochondria functioning is affected by diet, stress, sunlight, toxins and sleep. You DO have some control over most of these. We can eat less processed foods and increase anti-inflammatory foods, we can reduce stress with the GentleBirth App meditations, use red light therapy, reduce toxins and be intentional about our sleep habits. When our mito aren’t working properly it sends a signal to the rest of the body that something is wrong - the body mistakenly overreacts and starts an inflammatory process and it gets stuck in a vicious cycle. New research now suggests that inflammation in the body is associated with insulin issues in pregnancy. We also see this in pre-eclampsia - placental function is highly dependent on energy supplied by mitochondria - and when those cells aren’t happy - mama isn’t happy!

Can Gestational Diabetes be Prevented?

Staying informed, proactive, and taking good care of yourself is key and red light therapy plays a part in significantly improving mitochondrial functioning in just 15 minutes. Pregnancy is a time of high metabolic activity, so keeping your blood sugar levels stable is crucial. There’s still some debate about the exact criteria for diagnosing GDM, but what's clear is that a complex mix of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors play a role in its development.

In a nutshell. In some women, pancreatic beta cells can’t keep up with the extra fuel demand, leading to insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and more glucose reaching your baby. Other factors like how your body handles fat, low-grade inflammation, oxidative stress, and even placental factors also contribute to GDM. But when we look at the root cause - it comes down to cellular metabolism and how healthy your mitochondria are. When we dig into the pathophysiology of other pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia we also see this common denominator. So why aren’t we using light to help support happy healthy mitochondria? This may explain some of the reluctance.

Food and exercise and meditation all help regulate glucose processing by the body but red light therapy can kick start healthy cellular metabolism in just a few hours. Understanding these processes better can help us develop effective prevention strategies. Focusing on prevention means taking steps to keep your blood sugar levels in check before any issues arise, ensuring a healthier pregnancy for you and your baby. Someday soon red light therapy will be recommended as a 'supplement’ whenever couples start planning a pregnancy - it will be just as important if not more so than folate (folic acid). Getting your mito healthy (and your partners) can significantly impact fertility too!

Prevention is key, and I’m here to support you with tips and strategies to help you stay healthy and avoid the potential harms of GDM.

Learn more about Red Light Therapy and pregnancy complications here.

Here’s my Red Light product recommendations and why I chose them.