Women who are overweight or obese before pregnancy are at an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. While it is well-known that maintaining a healthy weight is important for preventing GDM, new research suggests that the amount of weight gain during pregnancy may also play a role in determining a woman’s risk of developing the condition.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, found that women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy and who gained a moderate amount of weight during pregnancy were at the greatest risk of developing GDM. However, the researchers also found that the risk of GDM was lower in women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy and who gained a small amount of weight during pregnancy.
The findings suggest that gestational weight gain may play a sex-specific role in the development of GDM, and that weight management during pregnancy may be an important factor in preventing the condition.
There are many risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with pre-pregnancy obesity being one of the most important. While it is known that gestational weight gain (GWG) is also a risk factor for GDM, the mechanism by which this occurs is not well understood. A new study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes) has found that the effect of GWG on GDM risk may be different for obese and non-obese women.
The study, by researchers at the University of Western Australia and King’s College London, used data from the Australian National Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (NDSOL), a large prospective study of women who were pregnant between 1999 and 2005. The researchers looked at the relationship between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), GWG and GDM, and whether this varied by maternal age, parity (the number of previous pregnancies), or ethnicity.
They found that, overall, a 1kg increase in GWG was associated with a 16% increase in the odds of GDM. However, when they looked at obese women specifically, they found that every 1kg increase in GWG was associated with a 32% increase in the odds of GDM. In contrast, among non-obese women, every 1kg increase in GWG was associated with just a 9% increase in the odds of GDM.
These findings suggest that, for obese women, GWG has a greater impact on GDM risk than it does for non-obese women. The mechanism by which this occurs is not clear, but it is possible that it is due to the fact that obese women are more likely to experience insulin resistance, which is known to be a risk factor for GDM.
This study highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy, especially for obese women. Obese women who are planning to become pregnant should speak to their doctor about how to best manage their weight, in order to reduce their risk of GDM.
