scholarly journals Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Developmental Programming

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Anne H.Y. Chu ◽  
Keith M. Godfrey

During normal pregnancy, increased insulin resistance acts as an adaptation to enhance materno-foetal nutrient transfer and meet the nutritional needs of the developing foetus, particularly in relation to glucose requirements. However, about 1 in 6 pregnancies worldwide is affected by the inability of the mother’s metabolism to maintain normoglycaemia, with the combination of insulin resistance and insufficient insulin secretion resulting in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). A growing body of epidemiologic work demonstrates long-term implications for adverse offspring health resulting from exposure to GDM in utero. The effect of GDM on offspring obesity and cardiometabolic health may be partly influenced by maternal obesity; this suggests that improving glucose and weight control during early pregnancy, or better still before conception, has the potential to lessen the risk to the offspring. The consequences of GDM for microbiome modification in the offspring and the impact upon offspring immune dysregulation are actively developing research areas. Some studies have suggested that GDM impacts offspring neurodevelopmental and cognitive outcomes; confirmatory studies will need to separate the effect of GDM exposure from the complex interplay of social and environmental factors. Animal and human studies have demonstrated the role of epigenetic modifications in underpinning the predisposition to adverse health in offspring exposed to suboptimal hyperglycaemic in utero environment. To date, several epigenome-wide association studies in human have extended our knowledge on linking maternal diabetes-related DNA methylation marks with childhood adiposity-related outcomes. Identification of such epigenetic marks can help guide future research to develop candidate diagnostic biomarkers and preventive or therapeutic strategies. Longer-term interventions and longitudinal studies will be needed to better understand the causality, underlying mechanisms, or impact of GDM treatments to optimize the health of future generations.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
July Stephany Gámez-Valdez ◽  
José Francisco García-Mazcorro ◽  
Alan Heriberto Montoya Rincón ◽  
Dalia Liliana Rodríguez Reyes ◽  
Gelacio Jiménez Blanco ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) and obesity are threatening health conditions during pregnancy, as they affect the normal function of multiple systems, including neuro-hormonal networks, and adipose, liver, muscle and placenta. GDM and maternal obesity are main triggers to a vicious cycle of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases perpetuated trans-generationally. One of the first stages of this vicious cycle occurs during early lactation as the infant feeds of “disbalanced” breastmilk microbiota and macromolecule level. Despite the importance of breastmilk microbiota on newborn development, few studies have characterized breastmilk microbiota in association with obesity and GDM. Maternal obesity decreases the diversity of breastmilk microbiota, with increased proportions Staphylococcus compared to Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides. However, the extent to which GDM together with maternal obesity affect breastmilk microbiota is unknown. Here, we applied 16S-rRNA high-throughput sequencing to characterize colostrum microbiota of 43 mothers with exclusive GDM and obesity in order to address the impact of GDM/obesity on breastmilk microbiota.Results. We identified a total of 1,496 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), being Proteobacteria and Firmicutes the dominant phyla. We found Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium-1, Anaerococcus and Prevotella overrepresented in samples of women with obesity and women with GDM. Population diversity indicators, such as Shannon/Faith phylogenetic index and UniFrac/robust Aitchison distances show distinct microbial composition for GDM (female-newborn subgroup) and obesity (male-newborn subgroup) compared to controls. Finally, Differential abundance analysis showed that Rhodobacteraceae was distinct for GDM and five families (Bdellovibrionaceae, Halomonadaceae, Shewanallaceae, Saccharimonadales and Vibrionaceae) were distinct for obesity groups.Conclusions. Our study indicates that GDM and obesity are related to a higher microbial diversity. Preliminary functional analysis suggests that this could be attributed to overrepresentation of amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism bacterial pathways. However, there is a strong influence of the infant´s gender and the utilization of antibiotics intrapartum. To our knowledge, this study represents the first characterization of the taxonomical changes of colostrum breastmilk in mothers with GDM. We think this study contributes to future design of functional metagenomic studies aiming to understand molecular mechanisms by which breastmilk from mothers with GDM/obesity affect the development and future adult physiology of their suckling infants.


Author(s):  
Angeline Maher ◽  
Agata Sobczyńska-Malefora

The incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is rising, which warrants attention due to the associated complications during pregnancy and in the long term for both mother and offspring. Studies have suggested a relationship between maternal folate (vitamin B9) and vitamin B12 status and GDM risk. Seemingly the most problematic scenario occurs when there is B-vitamin imbalance, with high folate and low vitamin B12. This nutritional state can occur in vitamin B12 deficient women who exceed the recommended folic acid supplementation. However, the pathological mechanisms behind this relationship are currently unclear and are explored in this review article. A high folate/low B12 can lead to a functional folate deficiency through the methyl-trap phenomenon, impairing re-methylation of homocysteine and regeneration of folates for DNA synthesis and repair. Consequently elevated homocysteine concentration leads to endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Vitamin B12 deficiency also leads to an impairment of the conversion of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA, which has been associated with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is thought to contribute to the etiology of GDM. More studies are needed to confirm the impact of these and other mechanisms on disease development. However, it highlights a potential avenue for GDM risk modification through a vitamin B12 supplement and improvement of maternal metabolic health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-192
Author(s):  
Samantha Bedell ◽  
Janine Hutson ◽  
Barbra de Vrijer ◽  
Genevieve Eastabrook

: Obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are becoming more common among pregnant women worldwide and are individually associated with a number of placenta-mediated obstetric complications, including preeclampsia, macrosomia, intrauterine growth restriction and stillbirth. The placenta serves several functions throughout pregnancy and is the main exchange site for the transfer of nutrients and gas from mother to fetus. In pregnancies complicated by maternal obesity or GDM, the placenta is exposed to environmental changes, such as increased inflammation and oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, and altered hormone levels. These changes can affect placental development and function and lead to abnormal fetal growth and development as well as metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities in the offspring. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on the effects of obesity and GDM on placental development and function. Understanding these processes is key in developing therapeutic interventions with the goal of mitigating these effects and preventing future cardiovascular and metabolic pathology in subsequent generations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuyao Jin ◽  
Lizi Lin ◽  
Na Han ◽  
Zhiling Zhao ◽  
Zheng Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To assess the association between plasma retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels both in the first trimester and second trimester and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods Plasma RBP4 levels and insulin were measured among 135 GDM cases and 135 controls nested within the Peking University Birth Cohort in Tongzhou. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of RBP4 levels on insulin resistance. Conditional logistic regression models were used to compute the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between RBP4 levels and risk of GDM. Results The GDM cases had significantly higher levels of RBP4 in the first trimester than controls (medians: 18.0 μg/L vs 14.4 μg/L; P < 0.05). Plasma RBP4 concentrations in the first and second trimester were associated with fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) in the second trimester (all P < 0.001). With adjustment for diet, physical activity, and other risk factors for GDM, the risk of GDM increased with every 1-log μg/L increment of RBP4 levels, and the OR (95% CI) was 3.12 (1.08–9.04) for RBP4 in the first trimester and 3.38 (1.03–11.08) for RBP4 in the second trimester. Conclusions Plasma RBP4 levels both in the first trimester and second trimester were dose-dependently associated with increased risk of GDM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 835
Author(s):  
Manoja P. Herath ◽  
Jeffrey M. Beckett ◽  
Andrew P. Hills ◽  
Nuala M. Byrne ◽  
Kiran D. K. Ahuja

Exposure to untreated gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in utero increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in adulthood, and increased adiposity in GDM-exposed infants is suggested as a plausible mediator of this increased risk of later-life metabolic disorders. Evidence is equivocal regarding the impact of good glycaemic control in GDM mothers on infant adiposity at birth. We systematically reviewed studies reporting fat mass (FM), percent fat mass (%FM) and skinfold thicknesses (SFT) at birth in infants of mothers with GDM controlled with therapeutic interventions (IGDMtr). While treating GDM lowered FM in newborns compared to no treatment, there was no difference in FM and SFT according to the type of treatment (insulin, metformin, glyburide). IGDMtr had higher overall adiposity (mean difference, 95% confidence interval) measured with FM (68.46 g, 29.91 to 107.01) and %FM (1.98%, 0.54 to 3.42) but similar subcutaneous adiposity measured with SFT, compared to infants exposed to normal glucose tolerance (INGT). This suggests that IGDMtr may be characterised by excess fat accrual in internal adipose tissue. Given that intra-abdominal adiposity is a major risk factor for metabolic disorders, future studies should distinguish adipose tissue distribution of IGDMtr and INGT.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Contreras-Duarte ◽  
Lorena Carvajal ◽  
María Jesús Garchitorena ◽  
Mario Subiabre ◽  
Bárbara Fuenzalida ◽  
...  

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) associates with fetal endothelial dysfunction (ED), which occurs independently of adequate glycemic control. Scarce information exists about the impact of different GDM therapeutic schemes on maternal dyslipidemia and obesity and their contribution to the development of fetal-ED. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of GDM-treatments on lipid levels in nonobese (N) and obese (O) pregnant women and the effect of maternal cholesterol levels in GDM-associated ED in the umbilical vein (UV). O-GDM women treated with diet showed decreased total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) levels with respect to N-GDM ones. Moreover, O-GDM women treated with diet in addition to insulin showed higher TC and LDL levels than N-GDM women. The maximum relaxation to calcitonin gene-related peptide of the UV rings was lower in the N-GDM group compared to the N one, and increased maternal levels of TC were associated with even lower dilation in the N-GDM group. We conclude that GDM-treatments modulate the TC and LDL levels depending on maternal weight. Additionally, increased TC levels worsen the GDM-associated ED of UV rings. This study suggests that it could be relevant to consider a specific GDM-treatment according to weight in order to prevent fetal-ED, as well as to consider the possible effects of maternal lipids during pregnancy.


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