Determinants of incident hyperglycemia 6 years after delivery in young rural Indian mothers: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study (PMNS).

OBJECTIVE: To study determinants of incident hyperglycemia in rural Indian mothers 6 years after delivery. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Pune Maternal Nutrition Study collected information in six villages near Pune on prepregnant characteristics and nutrition, physical activity, and glucose tolerance during pregnancy. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was repeated 6 years after delivery. RESULTS: A total of 597 mothers had an OGTT at 28 weeks' gestation; 3 had gestational diabetes (by World Health Organization 1999 criteria). Six years later, 42 of 509 originally normal glucose-tolerant mothers were hyperglycemic (8 diabetic, 20 with impaired glucose tolerance, and 14 with impaired fasting glucose). The hyperglycemic women had shorter legs and thicker skinfolds before pregnancy (P < 0.01, both), were less active and more hyperglycemic (2-h plasma glucose 4.8 vs. 4.4 mmol/l, P < 0.001) during pregnancy, and gained more weight during follow-up (6.0 vs. 2.7 kg, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that total leukocyte count and blood pressure during pregnancy were additional independent predictors of 2-h glucose concentration at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that compromised linear growth, adiposity, inflammation, and less physical activity predispose to hyperglycemia in young rural Indian women. International cut points of diabetes risk factors are largely irrelevant in these women.

Oral vitamin B12 supplementation reduces plasma total homocysteine concentration in women in India.

People in India have a high prevalence of low vitamin B12 status and high plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations. In a proof of principle trial, we studied the effect of oral vitamin B12 (500 microg) and/or 100 g cooked green leafy vegetables (GLV) every alternate day in a 2x2 factorial design over a 6-week period. Forty-two non-pregnant vegetarian women (age 20-50 years) were randomly allocated to four study groups. Clinical measurements were made at the beginning and at the end of the study, and blood samples were collected before, and 2 and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention. Forty women completed the trial. Twenty-six women had low vitamin B12 status (<150 pmol/L) and 24 had hyperhomocysteinemia (>15 micromol/L). GLV supplementation did not alter plasma folate or tHcy. Vitamin B12 supplementation increased plasma vitamin B12 concentration (125 to 215 pmol/L, p <0.05) and reduced tHcy concentration (18.0 to 13.0 micromol/L, p <0.05) within first 2 weeks, both of which remained stable for the next 4 weeks. Plasma vitamin B12 and tHcy concentrations did not change in those who did not receive vitamin B12, and there was no change in plasma folate concentration in any of the groups. Blood haemoglobin concentration increased marginally within first two weeks in those women who received vitamin B12 (by 3 g/L, p <0.05) and the number of women with macrocytosis decreased from 2 to zero. There was no change in vibration sensory threshold during the period of the study. High-dose per oral vitamin B12 supplementation significantly reduced plasma tHcy within 2 weeks but did not achieve normal plasma tHcy concentration even after 6 weeks. People in India have a high prevalence of low vitamin B12 status and high plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations.