Gestational Diabetes: An Alternative to the Glucola Beverage in Routine Testing

Screening for gestational diabetes commonly uses an oral glucose challenge test with a 50-g glucola beverage and subsequent venous puncture. If you have ever had this test before, you know how disgusting it is to drink this super sickly sugary beverage. In addition, up to 30% of pregnant women report significant side-effects, and the beverage is costly. Researchers hypothesized that equivalent glucose loads could be achieved from a popular candy twist (Twizzlers; The Hershey Company, Hershey, PA) and tested it as cost-effective, tolerable alternative with a test of equivalency.

According to the results published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the strawberry-flavored candy twists are potentially an equally effective screening test, compared with the gold standard glucola beverage. The good news is that the candy twits lead to fewer false-positive tests of gestational diabetes, and therefore would be a cost-effective alternative. Even better news for pregnant mothers, is that they taste better than the routine glucola drink.

You may have to wait a bit more before this becomes common practice among your care providers, but it will be a welcome change for pregnant women.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25446695