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Well-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus without pharmacologic therapy decelerates weight gain in infancy
Chao Li1,2,3, Yixi Cai3, Yinying Li3
1Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Department of Growth, Development, and Mental Health of Children and Adolescence Center, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Health and Nutrition, Chongqing, China.
Insights
Well-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in mothers not requiring medication did not affect infant birth size. However, offspring showed slower weight gain during the first year of life compared to controls.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication.
- Limited research exists on the long-term physical growth of offspring exposed to well-controlled GDM managed without pharmacologic therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physical growth trajectories of infants born to mothers with well-controlled GDM not treated with medication.
- To compare growth patterns from birth to 12 months between offspring of mothers with and without GDM.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study in China involving 236 offspring of mothers with GDM and 369 controls.
- Infant length and weight measured at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.
- Analysis using linear mixed-effect models.
Main Results:
- Offspring in both GDM and control groups had similar weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ), length-for-age z-scores (LAZ), and BMI-for-age z-scores (BMIZ) at birth.
- Infants of mothers with GDM exhibited slower increases in WAZ and BMIZ from 0-12 months compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Well-controlled GDM managed without pharmacologic therapy may normalize infant birth size but decelerate weight gain during infancy.
- Further research is needed to determine if glycemic control can mitigate long-term effects of GDM on offspring growth.
Aim:
There are no prospective longitudinal studies on the association between well-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) without pharmacologic therapy and the physical growth of offspring in infancy. We aimed to identify the trajectories in physical growth (from 0-12 months of age) in the offspring of mothers with well-controlled GDM without pharmacologic therapy in a prospective cohort in China.
Methods:
This study included 236 offspring of mothers with GDM and 369 offspring of mothers without GDM. Mothers with GDM were not on pharmacologic therapy. The length and weight of infants were measured at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Linear mixed-effect models and linear mixed-effect models were applied.
Results:
The fully adjusted model showed that the weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), length-for-age z-score (LAZ), and BMI-for-age z-score (BMIZ) were similar at birth for the GDM and control groups. However, subsequent increases in WAZ and BMIZ for the GDM group lagged the increases for the control group at the subsequent periods of observation, 0-1, 0-6, and 0-12 months.
Conclusions:
Well-controlled GDM without pharmacologic therapy may normalize physical growth of offspring at birth and decelerate their weight gain in infancy. Whether glycemic control can mitigate the long-term effects of GDM on the growth trajectory in offspring remains unclear.
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