Adult Offspring Of Women Research Articles

Assessing the Impact of Excessive Gestational Weight Gain Among Women With Type 1 Diabetes on Overweight/Obesity in Their Adolescent and Young Adult Offspring: A Pilot Study

Aims/hypothesis: We sought to determine the impact of intrauterine exposure to excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) on overweight/obesity in adolescent/young adult offspring of women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (TIDM).Methods: In 2008, a pilot study was conducted among 19 randomly-selected adolescent and adult offspring of mothers with TIDM who participated in the Diabetes in Pregnancy Program Project (DiP) between 1978 and 1995. Body mass index (BMI)-specific Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines for gestational weight gain (GWG) were defined as: 12.5–18.0 kilograms (kg) GWG; 11.5–16.0 kg GWG: 7.0–11.5 kg GWG; 5.0–9.0 kg GWG, for women classed as underweight, normal, overweight and obese according to pre-pregnancy BMI, respectively. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR, [95% confidence intervals, CI]) for overweight/obesity among offspring, related to IOM adherence, adjusting for pre-pregnancy BMI and mean maternal daily insulin units/kg body weight.Results: Mean age of offspring at follow-up was 20.3 ± 3.3 years, 12(63%) were male, 4(21%) Black and 12(63%) overweight/obese. There were 9(82%) overweight/obese offspring among the 11 mothers who exceeded IOM guidelines for GWG compared with 3(38%) overweight/obese offspring among the 8 mothers with GWG within guidelines. Exceeding vs. adhering to IOM guidelines (OR = 7.50, [95%CI: 0.92–61.0]) and GWG per kilogram (OR = 1.39, [95%CI: 0.98–1.97]) were associated with offspring overweight/obesity at follow-up.Conclusions/interpretation: Our pilot study suggests potential long-term implications of excessive GWG on metabolic health in offspring of mothers with TIDM, warranting future research examining the health impact of GWG in this population.

Increased expression of microRNA-15a and microRNA-15b in skeletal muscle from adult offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy.

Offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy exhibit skeletal muscle insulin resistance and are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, potentially mediated by epigenetic mechanisms or changes in the expression of small non-coding microRNAs. Members of the miR-15 family can alter the expression or function of important proteins in the insulin signalling pathway, affecting insulin sensitivity and secretion. We hypothesized that exposure to maternal diabetes may cause altered expression of these microRNAs in offspring skeletal muscle, representing a potential underlying mechanism by which exposure to maternal diabetes leads to increased risk of cardiometabolic disease in offspring. We measured microRNA expression in skeletal muscle biopsies of 26- to 35-year-old offspring of women with either gestational diabetes (O-GDM, n = 82) or type 1 diabetes (O-T1DM, n = 67) in pregnancy, compared with a control group of offspring from the background population (O-BP, n = 57) from an observational follow-up study. Expression of both miR-15a and miR-15b was increased in skeletal muscle obtained from O-GDM (both P < 0.001) and O-T1DM (P = 0.024, P = 0.005, respectively) compared with O-BP. Maternal 2 h post OGTT glucose levels were positively associated with miR-15a expression (P = 0.041) in O-GDM after adjustment for confounders and mediators. In all groups collectively, miRNA expression was significantly positively associated with fasting plasma glucose, 2 h plasma glucose and HbA1c. We conclude that fetal exposure to maternal diabetes is associated with increased skeletal muscle expression of miR-15a and miR-15b and that this may contribute to development of metabolic disease in these subjects.

DNA methylation and gene expression of TXNIP in adult offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy.

BackgroundFetal exposure to maternal diabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), possibly mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Low blood TXNIP DNA methylation has been associated with elevated glucose levels and risk of T2DM, and increased skeletal muscle TXNIP gene expression was reported in subjects with impaired glucose metabolism or T2DM. Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and skeletal muscle play a key role in the control of whole body glucose metabolism and insulin action. The extent to which TXNIP DNA methylation levels are decreased and/or gene expression levels increased in SAT or skeletal muscle of a developmentally programmed at-risk population is unknown.Objective and methodsThe objective of this study was to investigate TXNIP DNA methylation and gene expression in SAT and skeletal muscle, and DNA methylation in blood, from adult offspring of women with gestational diabetes (O-GDM, n = 82) or type 1 diabetes (O-T1DM, n = 67) in pregnancy compared with offspring of women from the background population (O-BP, n = 57).ResultsSAT TXNIP DNA methylation was increased (p = 0.032) and gene expression decreased (p = 0.001) in O-GDM, but these differences were attenuated after adjustment for confounders. Neither blood/muscle TXNIP DNA methylation nor muscle gene expression differed between groups.ConclusionWe found no evidence of decreased TXNIP DNA methylation or increased gene expression in metabolic target tissues of offspring exposed to maternal diabetes. Further studies are needed to confirm and understand the paradoxical SAT TXNIP DNA methylation and gene expression changes in O-GDM subjects.

Differential adipokine DNA methylation and gene expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue from adult offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy

BackgroundOffspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), potentially mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. The adipokines leptin, adiponectin, and resistin (genes: LEP, ADIPOQ, RETN) play key roles in the pathophysiology of T2DM. We hypothesized that offspring exposed to maternal diabetes exhibit alterations in epigenetic regulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) adipokine transcription.We studied adipokine plasma levels, SAT gene expression, and DNA methylation of LEP, ADIPOQ, and RETN in adult offspring of women with gestational diabetes (O-GDM, N = 82) or type 1 diabetes (O-T1DM, N = 67) in pregnancy, compared to offspring of women from the background population (O-BP, N = 57).ResultsCompared to O-BP, we found elevated plasma leptin and resistin levels in O-T1DM, decreased gene expression of all adipokines in O-GDM, decreased RETN expression in O-T1DM, and increased LEP and ADIPOQ methylation in O-GDM. In multivariate regression analysis, O-GDM remained associated with increased ADIPOQ methylation and decreased ADIPOQ and RETN gene expression and O-T1DM remained associated with decreased RETN expression after adjustment for potential confounders and mediators.ConclusionsIn conclusion, offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy exhibit increased ADIPOQ DNA methylation and decreased ADIPOQ and RETN gene expression in SAT. However, altered methylation and expression levels were not reflected in plasma protein levels, and the functional implications of these findings remain uncertain.

Gene Expression and DNA Methylation of PPARGC1A in Muscle and Adipose Tissue From Adult Offspring of Women With Diabetes in Pregnancy.

Prenatal exposure to maternal hyperglycemia is associated with an increased risk of later adverse metabolic health. Changes in the regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PPARGC1A) in skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) is suggested to play a role in the developmental programming of dysmetabolism based on studies of human subjects exposed to an abnormal intrauterine environment (e.g., individuals with a low birth weight). We studied 206 adult offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (O-GDM) or type 1 diabetes (O-T1D) and of women from the background population (O-BP) using a clinical examination, oral glucose tolerance test, and gene expression and DNA methylation of PPARGC1A in skeletal muscle and SAT. Plasma glucose was significantly higher for both O-GDM and O-T1D compared with O-BP (P < 0.05). PPARGC1A gene expression in muscle was lower in O-GDM compared with O-BP (P = 0.0003), whereas no differences were found between O-T1D and O-BP in either tissue. PPARGC1A DNA methylation percentages in muscle and SAT were similar among all groups. Decreased PPARGC1A gene expression in muscle has previously been associated with abnormal insulin function and may thus contribute to the increased risk of metabolic disease in O-GDM. The unaltered PPARGC1A gene expression in muscle of O-T1D suggests that factors other than intrauterine hyperglycemia may contribute to the decreased PPARGC1A expression in O-GDM.

Incretin and glucagon levels in adult offspring exposed to maternal diabetes in pregnancy.

Fetal exposure to maternal diabetes is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) later in life. The pathogenesis of T2DM involves dysfunction of the incretin hormones, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), as well as hyperglucagonemia. Our aim was to investigate circulating plasma levels of GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in adult offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy. We conducted a follow-up study of 567 offspring, aged 18-27 years. We included two groups exposed to maternal diabetes in utero: offspring of women with diet-treated gestational diabetes mellitus (O-GDM; n = 163) or type 1 diabetes (O-T1DM; n = 146). Two reference groups were included: offspring of women with risk factors for GDM, but normoglycemia during pregnancy (O-NoGDM; n = 133) and offspring from the background population (O-BP; n = 125). The subjects underwent a 75-g OGTT with venous samples at 0, 30, and 120 minutes. Fasting plasma levels of GLP-1 were lower in the two diabetes-exposed groups compared to O-BP (O-GDM, P = .040; O-T1DM, P = .008). Increasing maternal blood glucose during OGTT in pregnancy was associated with reduced postprandial suppression of glucagon in the offspring. Lower levels of GLP-1 and higher levels of glucagon during the OGTT were present in offspring characterized by overweight or prediabetes/T2DM at follow-up, irrespective of exposure status. Lower levels of fasting GLP-1 and impaired glucagon suppression in adult offspring exposed to maternal diabetes during pregnancy are diabetogenic traits that may contribute to glucose intolerance in these persons, but further investigations are needed.

Cognitive Function in Adult Offspring of Women with Gestational Diabetes–The Role of Glucose and Other Factors

ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate cognitive function in adult offspring of women with diet-treated gestational diabetes and to study potential associations with maternal glucose values.Materials and MethodsIn 2003–2005 cognitive function was assessed in a cohort of 18–27 year old offspring of women with diet-treated gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 153) and offspring from the background population (n = 118). The main outcome measure was global cognitive score derived from Raven’s Progressive Matrices and three verbal subtests from the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale. Maternal fasting- and 2-hour blood glucose values from the diagnostic oral glucose tolerance test were used as exposure variables.ResultsOffspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus had a lower global cognitive score, than offspring from the background population (93.1 vs. 100.0, P<0.001). However, when adjusted for maternal age at delivery, parity, smoking during pregnancy, pre-pregnancy overweight, family social class, parental educational level, gender, birth weight, gestational age, perinatal complications and offspring age at follow-up, the difference was no longer statistically significant. Offspring global cognitive score decreased significantly with increasing maternal fasting glucose (β = −4.5, 95% CI −8.0 to −0.9, P = 0.01) and 2-hour glucose (β = −1.5, −2.9 to −0.2, P = 0.03) in univariate general linear models, but not when adjusted for family social class and parental educational level.ConclusionsLower cognitive test scores in adult offspring of women with diet-treated gestational diabetes were explained by well known predictors of cognitive function, but not by maternal hyperglycaemia during pregnancy. We find it reassuring that mild intrauterine hyperglycaemia does not seem to have adverse effect on offspring cognitive function.

Insulin Resistance and Impaired Pancreatic β-Cell Function in Adult Offspring of Women With Diabetes in Pregnancy

Offspring of women with diabetes during pregnancy have an increased risk of glucose intolerance in adulthood, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We aimed to investigate the effects of intrauterine hyperglycemia on insulin secretion and action in adult offspring of mothers with diabetes. A cohort of 587 Caucasian offspring, without known diabetes, was followed up at the age of 18-27 years. We included 2 groups exposed to maternal diabetes in utero: offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 167) or type 1 diabetes (n = 153). Two reference groups were included: offspring of women with risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus but normoglycemia during pregnancy (n = 139) and offspring from the background population (n = 128). Indices of insulin sensitivity and insulin release were calculated using insulin and glucose values from a standard oral glucose tolerance test (120 minutes, 75 g glucose). Pancreatic β-cell function taking the prevailing insulin sensitivity into account was estimated by disposition indices. Both groups of offspring exposed during pregnancy to either maternal gestational diabetes or type 1 diabetes had reduced insulin sensitivity compared with offspring from the background population (both P < .005). We did not find any significant difference in absolute measures of insulin release. However, the disposition index was significantly reduced in both the diabetes-exposed groups (both P < .005). Reduced insulin sensitivity as well as impaired pancreatic β-cell function may contribute to the increased risk of glucose intolerance among adult offspring born to women with diabetes during pregnancy.

Cognitive function in adult offspring of women with Type 1 diabetes

Maternal diabetes may affect offspring cognitive function. The objective of the study was to evaluate cognitive function and potential predictors hereof in adult offspring of women with Type 1 diabetes. We conducted a follow-up study of adult offspring of women with Type 1 diabetes (n = 158) and a reference group from the background population (n = 118). The main outcome measure was offspring cognitive function measured by global cognitive score, derived from Raven's Progressive Matrices and three verbal subtests from the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale. Offspring of women with Type 1 diabetes obtained lower global cognitive scores (94.8 vs. 100.0, P = 0.004) than offspring from the background population. When adjusted for confounders, the groups no longer differed significantly (difference 0.4, 95% CI -3.3 to 4.). Positive predictors of cognitive function in offspring of women with diabetes were family social class, parental educational level, maternal diabetes duration, male gender and offspring age, whereas parity ≥ 1 and gestational age < 34 weeks were negative predictors. We found no association with maternal glycaemia during pregnancy or with neonatal hypoglycaemia. Impaired cognitive function in adult offspring of women with Type 1 diabetes compared with the background population apparently reflects differences with respect to well-known confounders. However, harmful effects of maternal hyperglycaemia may be mediated through delivery at < 34 weeks.

Overweight and the Metabolic Syndrome in Adult Offspring of Women with Diet-Treated Gestational Diabetes Mellitus or Type 1 Diabetes

In animal studies, exposure to intrauterine hyperglycemia increases the risk of cardiovascular disease through only partly understood epigenetic mechanisms. Human long-term follow-up studies on the same topic are few. The aim was to study the risk of overweight and the metabolic syndrome in adult offspring of women with diet-treated gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or type 1 diabetes, and additionally to study associations between estimates of maternal hyperglycemia and outcome in the offspring. We conducted a follow-up study of 1066 primarily Caucasian women aged 18-27 yr in the Center for Pregnant Women with Diabetes, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. Offspring of women with diet-treated GDM (n = 168) and an unexposed reference group (n = 141) participated, as well as offspring of women with type 1 diabetes (n = 160) and offspring from the background population representing an unexposed reference group (n = 128). The follow-up rate was 56% (597 of 1066). Women with body mass index of at least 25 kg/m(2) were considered overweight. The metabolic syndrome was determined by the International Diabetes Federation 2006 criteria. The risk of overweight was doubled in offspring of women with diet-treated GDM or type 1 diabetes compared with offspring from the background population, whereas the risk of the metabolic syndrome was 4- and 2.5-fold increased, respectively. Offspring risk of the metabolic syndrome increased significantly with increasing maternal fasting blood glucose as well as 2-h blood glucose (during oral glucose tolerance test). Adult offspring of women with diet-treated GDM or type 1 diabetes are risk groups for overweight and the metabolic syndrome. Intrauterine hyperglycemia may in addition to genetics and other factors contribute to the pathogenesis of overweight and the metabolic syndrome.

High Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes in Adult Offspring of Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus or Type 1 Diabetes

The role of intrauterine hyperglycemia and future risk of type 2 diabetes in human offspring is debated. We studied glucose tolerance in adult offspring of women with either gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or type 1 diabetes, taking the impact of both intrauterine hyperglycemia and genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes into account. The glucose tolerance status following a 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was evaluated in 597 subjects, primarily Caucasians, aged 18-27 years. They were subdivided into four groups according to maternal glucose metabolism during pregnancy and genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes: 1) offspring of women with diet-treated GDM (O-GDM), 2) offspring of genetically predisposed women with a normal OGTT (O-NoGDM), 3) offspring of women with type 1 diabetes (O-type 1), and 4) offspring of women from the background population (O-BP). The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose) in the four groups was 21, 12, 11, and 4%, respectively. In multiple logistic regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for type 2 diabetes/pre-diabetes were 7.76 (95% CI 2.58-23.39) in O-GDM and 4.02 (1.31-12.33) in O-type 1 compared with O-BP. In O-type 1, the risk of type 2 diabetes/pre-diabetes was significantly associated with elevated maternal blood glucose in late pregnancy: OR 1.41 (1.04-1.91) per mmol/l. A hyperglycemic intrauterine environment appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes/pre-diabetes in adult offspring of primarily Caucasian women with either diet-treated GDM or type 1 diabetes during pregnancy.