Infants exposed to gestational diabetes gain less fat in their first year, challenging assumptions about obesity risk and growth patterns.
- Babies exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in utero gain less fat in their first year but have equivalent lean body mass growth compared to non-GDM infants
- Gestational diabetes doesn’t necessarily predispose infants to obesity, suggesting natural flexibility in early growth patterns
- Current assumptions about GDM and childhood obesity risk require reevaluation, emphasizing the need for nuanced early-life monitoring
Infant body composition trajectories differ by in utero exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort from birth to 12 months
Go to source). This shows that newborns' early growth may adapt and self-correct more than previously assumed and that infants with GDM are not necessarily prone to obesity, but may benefit from increased monitoring to maintain healthy growth.
Link Between Gestational Diabetes and Child Obesity
"We often believe that babies exposed to gestational diabetes are automatically at a higher risk for childhood obesity, but our findings paint a more complicated picture," said Elizabeth Widen, corresponding author and assistant professor of nutritional sciences at UT Austin. "While these infants are born with more body fat, many seem to naturally balance out over time."Babies exposed to gestational diabetes gain less fat but the same lean muscle as their peers in the first year, defying obesity assumptions!#gestationaldiabetes #infanthealth #medindia’
GDM occurs in around 8.3% of pregnancies in the United States, a figure that has increased dramatically over the last two decades. Mothers with GDM are more likely to experience pregnancy problems and ultimately develop Type 2 diabetes. Infants with Type 2 diabetes typically have higher-than-average birth weights, a higher percentage of fat (adipose) tissue, and higher body mass indexes. Previous research has shown that infants who were exposed to GDM in utero had a higher chance of developing Type 2 diabetes and obesity later in life.
Impact of Gestational Diabetes Exposure During Pregnancy
The study tracked 198 infants, half of whom had been exposed to GDM in utero. The data were obtained between 1996 and 2006, with the majority of the participants recruited before GDM was commonly treated with blood sugar-controlling medications such as metformin or insulin."These data are consistent with the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network's treatment of mild GDM in pregnancy, showing that there was no reduction in childhood obesity or metabolic dysregulation between ages 5 to 10 in offspring of treated GDM mothers as compared with controls," said Patrick Catalano, professor of reproductive endocrinology at Harvard Medical School who led data collection.
Researchers measured each baby's weight, length, and body fat at birth and multiple times during the first year of life. Using modern statistical tools, the research team analyzed each infant's growth pattern and discovered three distinct growth paths.
The analysis found that GDM-exposed newborns had significantly slower growth of fat mass and body fat percentage, as well as being in the group with the slowest BMI increase or even lowering BMI.
Reference:
- Infant body composition trajectories differ by in utero exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort from birth to 12 months - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000291652400861X)
Source-Medindia