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Gestational diabetes often leads to poor metabolic health in offspring
Children of mothers who had gestational diabetes are more likely to have increased adiposity, an adverse cardiometabolic profile and early onset of puberty in girls compared with children whose mothers did not have gestational diabetes, study data from Denmark show.
Louise G. Grunnet, PhD, MSc, of the department of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen and the Danish Diabetes Academy in Odense, Denmark, and colleagues evaluated data from the Danish National Birth Cohort on 561 children aged 9 to 16 years of mothers with gestational diabetes (cases) and 597 children of mothers without gestational diabetes (controls) to determine the association of gestational diabetes with offspring metabolic disease and pubertal development.
Cases were more likely to have higher fasting whole-blood and fasting plasma glucose levels, higher fasting plasma insulin, fasting C-peptide and homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) compared with controls. The lipid profile was unhealthier, triglycerides were higher, HDL levels were lower, total fat percentages were higher and lean body mass percentage was lower in cases compared with controls. The odds for reaching puberty based on Tanner stage for breast development were nearly twice as high among girls in the cases group compared with the control group.
Waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, FPG levels, fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR were all significantly greater in cases compared with controls after adjustment for offspring BMI.
After further adjustment for waist to hip ratio, fasting glucose levels (OR = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05) and HOMA-IR (OR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02-1.16) were significantly higher in controls compared with cases. BMI remained greater in cases compared with controls after adjustment for maternal prepregnancy BMI. After adjustment for offspring BMI and maternal prepregnancy BMI, cases had significantly greater waist to hip ratio, waist circumference, fasting glucose level and HOMA-IR.
According to the researchers, the findings support “an independent role of hyperglycemia in pregnancy programming body composition as well as [insulin resistance] among adolescent offspring.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosures: Grunnet reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.