Abstract
Previous studies showed the association between maternal GDM and long-term effects of overweight in offspring. However, the nature of this association in the early postnatal period is still undetermined. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to evaluate whether maternal GDM is associated with overweight and obesity status in offspring at age 1 year. We studied 1167 infants born at a large obstetrical care hospital including 778 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 389 GDM pregnancies, matched in a 1:2 ratio according to offspring’s gender, during the years 2016–2017. Overweight and obesity status in offspring of both groups were evaluated at 1 year of age through questionnaires. Infant outcomes were defined according to the WHO Child Growth Standards based on the length-based BMI-for-age. Female offspring from the GDM group exhibited a higher mean BMI (17.2 vs. 16.6, p < 0.01), a higher rate of obesity (13.9% vs. 7.7%; p < 0.05), and overweight (33.1% vs. 23.5%; p < 0.05) as compared to the NGT female group. In the multivariable regression model, maternal GDM was found to be independently and significantly associated with overweight or obesity in 1-year aged female offspring only (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.09–2.37, p < 0.05). We found a sex specific association between maternal GDM and the overweight risk only in female offspring at 1 year of age.
Highlights
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication during pregnancy, affecting approximately overall 5%-15% of women, and 6.5–14.8% in Han Chinese population [1,2,3,4]
A recent study showed that acceleration of BMI in early childhood is related to the risk of sustained obesity [11] and to a higher incidence of “metabolic syndrome” and type 2 diabetes mellitus [12]
Maternal GDM cases were matched with non GDM cases according to offspring’s gender in a ratio of 1:2, the final study group consisted of 1167 mother-infant pairs including 778 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) pregnancies which included 404 male infants and 374 female infants, and 389 GDM pregnancies which included 202 male infants and 187 female infants
Summary
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication during pregnancy, affecting approximately overall 5%-15% of women, and 6.5–14.8% in Han Chinese population [1,2,3,4]. Sex-Specific Association GDM Offspring Overweight studies indicated that GDM may increase childhood obesity in offspring [6,7,8,9]. Overweight and obesity during childhood are later associated with an increased risk for multiple metabolic morbidities during adulthood [10]. A recent study showed that acceleration of BMI in early childhood is related to the risk of sustained obesity [11] and to a higher incidence of “metabolic syndrome” and type 2 diabetes mellitus [12]. Obesity increases risk of many adverse outcomes, the relationship between GDM and the early origins of obesity is still unclear
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