Gestational diabetes predicts the risk of childhood overweight and abdominal circumference independent of maternal obesity

Abstract

The postulated increased risk of overweight and abdominal adiposity in offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes cannot be explained by maternal BMI alone and may be stronger for childhood obesity than for overweight.

Excessive gestational weight gain prior to glucose screening and the risk of gestational diabetes: a meta-analysis

“…GDM is associated with short-and long-term complications for both the mother and the offspring, including newborn macrosomia, obesity in the offspring and an elevated risk to the mother of developing Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-015-3686-5) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users. manifest type 2 diabetes [2][3][4]. Preventing GDM could thus be an important strategy to interrupt the transgenerational vicious cycle of obesity and diabetes [5].…”

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors under epigenetic control in placental metabolism and fetal development

“…This has been shown in human studies contributing to knowledge on developmental alterations that increase the risk of overweight and type 2 diabetes later in the offspring's life (36,102,126). Considering that the PPAR system regulates many metabolic and anti-inflammatory pathways, it is plausible to hypothesize that it also plays a role in the development of maternal and fetal alterations of diabetic pregnancies.…”

Maternal diabetes, gestational diabetes and the role of epigenetics in their long term effects on offspring

“…Importantly, the risk may be modifiable by treating GDM, as offspring risk of obesity appeared decreased and was no longer significant after multivariate adjustment in the treated GDM group (Hillier et al, 2007). More recently, Nehring et al reported increased odds ratios for overweight and obesity at 5.8 years old after correction for maternal BMI and other confounders, and Baptiste-Roberts et al prospectively at 7 years after correction for maternal BMI (Nehring et al, 2013;Baptiste-Roberts et al, 2012). Furthermore, in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), maternal GDM was associated with increased general and central obesity in offspring at age 9e11, (Lawlor et al, 2010) and increased adiposity measures at 6e13 years in Exploring Perinatal Outcomes among Children (EPOCH) Study, although observations in the latter were largely but not completely attenuated after adjustment for maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (Crume et al, 2011a).…”