Insulin Resistance During Pregnancy Poses Risks for Mother and Child.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Increasing rates of premature births coincide with the rise in obesity over the past two decades, and the Summer 2006 issue (Volume 4, Number 2) of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders explores the possible link between excess abdominal fat, insulin resistance, and the risk of preterm birth. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders is a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The entire issue is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/met.

"In the 20 years from 1980 to 2000, which approximately coincides with the 30.8% increase in premature births, the percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in the United States increased from 25% in 1980 to 57% in 2000, a 128% increase," says Richard C. Adler, M.D., Guest Editor of this special issue of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, and Medical Director, AlphaMAXX Healthcare. "It is reasonable to suggest that there might be a cause-and-effect relationship with the increasing rate of premature births and the escalation of obesity related to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome."

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of related health conditions that include overweight, insulin resistance (the declining ability of the body to produce insulin in response to increases in blood sugar), and elevated blood pressure and lipid levels.

In an article entitled "Effects of Diet and Exercise on Insulin Resistance during Pregnancy, James F. Clapp III, MD, presents the evidence to support the role a low-glycemic diet and exercise can have in helping to minimize the increase in insulin resistance that tends to occur during pregnancy in Western societies.

Other papers in this special issue look at the effects of maternal insulin resistance on fetal growth and body composition (Kristine Lain, MD and Patrick Catalano, MD) and on the consequences of preterm birth and low birth weight on the risk to the child of developing metabolic disorders later in life (Paul Hofman, et al.).

The issue also includes a report on elevated blood glucose levels during pregnancy and the mother's risk of metabolic syndrome later in life; the risks associated with polycystic ovary syndrome; the role of glucocorticoids in predisposing the fetus to abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome later in life; reduced levels of omega-3 fatty acids in current Western diets and the relationship of this dietary component to the metabolic syndrome, infertility, and pregnancy; and the relationships between normal pregnancy, obesity, and gestational diabetes and insulin resistance.

Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders is the only peer-reviewed journal to focus solely on the pathophysiology, recognition, and treatment of metabolic syndrome. Edited by Vivian Fonseca, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Tullis Tulane Alumni Chair in Diabetes at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, in New Orleans, LA, the Journal covers a range of topics including insulin resistance, central obesity, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia with elevated triglycerides, predominance of small dense LDL-cholesterol particles, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress and inflammation. Tables of contents and other free sample issues may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Obesity Management, Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics, and Journal of Women's Health. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals and books is available at www.liebertpub.com.