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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Study of In Vivo Glucose Metabolism in High-fat Diet-fed Mice Using Oral Glucose Tolerance Test OGTT and Insulin Tolerance Test ITT
Published on: January 7, 2018
Prepregnancy Fat Free Mass and Associations to Glucose Metabolism Before and During Pregnancy
Eva Carolina Diaz1,2,3, Elisabet Børsheim1,2,3, Kartik Shankar1,3
1Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Objective:
Our aim was to quantify the individual contribution of prepregnancy (PP) fat-free mass (FFM), expressed as [PP-FFM index (PP-FFMI) = FFM (kg)/height (m2)], on markers of glucose homeostasis before and during pregnancy.
Methods:
Body composition was assessed in 43 women before pregnancy using air-displacement plethysmography. Blood was drawn at PP and gestational weeks ∼8 and 30. Relationships between body composition (independent) variables and glucose homeostasis (dependent) variables were assessed using adjusted correlations and simple and multiple linear regression analyses.
Results:
PP-FFMI was the strongest predictor of plasma insulin concentration [squared partial correlation (Pr2) = 17, P = 0.007] and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) (Pr2 = 16, P = 0.010). At gestation week 30, PP-FFMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) were the strongest predictors of insulin concentration (PP-FFMI: Pr2 = 20, P = 0.010; GWG: Pr2 = 12, P = 0.052) and HOMA2-IR (PP-FFMI: Pr2 = 19, P = 0.012; GWG: Pr2 = 13, P = 0.045). After accounting for PP fat mass index (PP-FMI), PP-FFMI and GWG were independently associated with first-phase insulin response (PP-FFMI: Pr2 = 20, P = 0.009; GWG: Pr2 = 15, P = 0.025) and second-phase insulin response (PP-FFMI: Pr2 = 19, P = 0.011; GWG: Pr2 = 17, P = 0.016). PP-FMI was the strongest predictor of an oral glucose tolerance test‒derived estimated metabolic clearance rate of glucose (PP-FMI: Pr2 = 14, P = 0.037) and estimated insulin sensitivity index (PP-FMI: Pr2 = 13, P = 0.047).
Conclusions:
PP-FFMI was a predictor of markers of glucose homeostasis before and during pregnancy. Studies assessing the effect of skeletal muscle quality on metabolic regulation during pregnancy are warranted.
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