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Body composition and bone status of children born to mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus

M Z Mughal1, J Eelloo, S A Roberts

  • 1Department of Paediatric Medicine, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK. zulf.mughal@cmft.nhs.uk

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|March 26, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children born to mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are taller and have increased body fat and larger bone dimensions. The intrauterine diabetic environment influences childhood growth, adiposity, and bone development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Bone Disease
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Background:

  • Maternal diabetes mellitus (type 1 and type 2) is linked to altered offspring growth, body composition, and skeletal mineralization.
  • Understanding these effects is crucial for managing long-term health outcomes in children exposed to a diabetic intrauterine environment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if children of mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) exhibit differences in height, BMI, body composition, and bone parameters compared to controls.
  • Hypothesized increased linear growth, adiposity, and altered bone mineralization in T1DM offspring.

Main Methods:

  • Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and peripheral quantitative CT were used to assess anthropometry, body composition, and bone parameters.
  • Study included 67 children of mothers with T1DM (CDM) and 246 age-matched controls.

Main Results:

  • Children of mothers with T1DM were significantly taller, heavier, and had higher BMI, total body fat mass, and lean mass.
  • CDM exhibited larger bone area and bone mineral content but similar areal bone mineral density (BMD) and volumetric BMD compared to controls.
  • Increased periosteal and endosteal circumferences were observed at the mid-radius in CDM.

Conclusions:

  • The intrauterine diabetic environment is associated with increased linear growth, adiposity, and larger bone dimensions in children and adolescents.
  • These findings suggest a significant impact of maternal T1DM on offspring's physical development, including skeletal structure.
Abstract

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