Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026
Author Spotlight: Exploring the Long-Term Health Impacts of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection on Offspring
Published on: May 17, 2024
In Utero Exposure to Maternal Hyperglycemia Increases Childhood Cardiometabolic Risk in Offspring
Wing Hung Tam1, Ronald Ching Wan Ma2,3,4, Risa Ozaki2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong tamwh@cuhk.edu.hk.
Insights
Maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy increases offsprings' cardiometabolic risks, including abnormal glucose tolerance and obesity by age 7. These effects were more pronounced in girls for adiposity.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy is a growing concern.
- Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects a significant number of pregnancies.
- The long-term cardiometabolic health of offspring exposed to maternal hyperglycemia requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy on cardiometabolic risk factors in offspring during early childhood.
- To determine the association between maternal glucose levels and offspring's glucose tolerance, BMI, blood pressure, and adiposity at age 7.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 970 mothers and their children from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome study were reevaluated 7 years postpartum.
- Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was diagnosed using World Health Organization 2013 criteria.
- Offspring cardiometabolic risk factors including glucose tolerance, BMI, blood pressure, and adiposity were assessed.
Main Results:
- Offspring born to mothers with GDM exhibited higher rates of abnormal glucose tolerance, overweight/obesity, greater BMI, and higher blood pressure compared to controls.
- Increased maternal glucose levels during pregnancy were associated with a higher risk of abnormal glucose tolerance in offspring.
- Maternal hyperglycemia was linked to increased adjusted odds ratios for childhood overweight/obesity and adiposity in girls, but not boys.
Conclusions:
- Maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for abnormal glucose tolerance, obesity, and elevated blood pressure in offspring at 7 years of age.
- The impact of maternal hyperglycemia on childhood adiposity was observed specifically in girls.
- These findings underscore the importance of managing maternal glucose levels during pregnancy for long-term offspring cardiometabolic health.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy on cardiometabolic risk in offspring during early childhood.
Research Design And Methods:
A total of 970 mothers who had joined the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome study were reevaluated, together with their child born during the study period, 7 years after delivery.
Results:
Offspring born to mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), as defined by the World Health Organization 2013 GDM criteria, had higher rates of abnormal glucose tolerance (4.7% vs. 1.7%; P = 0.04), higher rates of overweight or obesity, greater BMI, higher blood pressure (BP), lower oral disposition index, and a trend toward reduced β-cell function compared with those born to mothers without GDM. For each SD increase in maternal fasting, 1-h, and 2-h glucose levels on oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) between 24 and 32 weeks of the index pregnancy, the risk of abnormal glucose tolerance in the offspring showed a corresponding increase (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.85-2.00). The associations were independent of BMI before pregnancy, childhood obesity, or being born large for gestational age. The area under the curve for glucose levels during the five-point OGTT increased to a similar extent in boys and girls with each SD increase in maternal 1-h and 2-h plasma glucose on OGTTs during pregnancy. All three maternal glucose levels were also associated with increased adjusted ORs for childhood overweight or obesity and adiposity among girls, but not boys.
Conclusions:
Maternal hyperglycemia in pregnancy is independently associated with offsprings' risk of abnormal glucose tolerance, obesity, and higher BP at 7 years of age. Its effect on childhood adiposity was apparent only in girls, not boys.
More Related Videos
07:34Fetal Mouse Cardiovascular Imaging Using a High-frequency Ultrasound 30/45MHZ System
Published on: May 5, 2018
05:55Stable Isotope In-Vivo Labeling for Mass-Spectrometry Identification of Paternal Metabolites Transferred from Sperm to Oocyte During Fertilization
Published on: June 17, 2025
Related Concept Videos
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
01:19Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
01:36Carbohydrate Metabolism
Starch accounts for approximately 60% of the carbohydrates consumed by humans. Since amylase enzymes cannot function in the stomach's acidic environment, starch can only be digested in the mouth and small intestine. Simple sugars are found naturally in milk and fruits in...
01:15Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications