Power Spectral Analysis of Heart Rate Variability During the 100-g Oral Glucose Tolerance Test in Pregnant Women

Abstract

Acute elevation of blood glucose levels during the OGTT caused substantial autonomic alterations, including sympathetic activation and parasympathetic withdrawal. Both arms of the autonomic system were affected during the test, thus lending support to the concept that these changes are centrally integrated. The autonomic changes were less pronounced in women with GDM compared with in normal control subjects, suggesting that chronic hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia may alter modulation of the autonomic nervous system.