Infants of mothers with gestational diabetes may not be at higher obesity risk, new study suggests

New Delhi: Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes may not be at a higher risk of becoming obese, as previously thought, according to a new study that followed nearly 100 such infants during their first year of life.

Infants exposed to this pregnancy complication in the womb have traditionally been considered at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity later in life.

However, in their study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that the infants they followed had higher levels of body fat at birth, but they gained fat at a slower rate during their first year.

This, according to them, indicates greater flexibility in early growth than earlier studies may have recognised.

Gestational diabetes is a complication in which the mother's body cannot produce enough insulin to meet the increased demands of pregnancy. A healthy weight and regular exercise are advised to help prevent the condition.

The study, led by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard Medical School, suggests that early growth in babies may adapt and self-correct more than previously thought.

This could mean that infants exposed to gestational diabetes are not necessarily at higher risk for obesity but may instead benefit from additional monitoring to support healthy growth, the authors said.

"We often think that babies exposed to gestational diabetes will automatically be at higher risk for childhood obesity, but our findings show a more complex picture," said Elizabeth Widen, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and corresponding author of the study.

"While these infants are born with more body fat, many seem to naturally balance out over time," Widen added.

The researchers followed 198 infants, half of whose mothers developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Data was collected between 1996 and 2006, with the majority of participants enrolled before gestational diabetes was commonly treated with anti-diabetes drugs like metformin or insulin to control blood sugar levels.

Each baby's weight, length, and body fat were measured at birth and several times over their first 12 months.

No lowered risk of obesity or metabolic dysregulation was found in children born to mothers who were treated for gestational diabetes, compared to those whose mothers did not develop the condition.

Furthermore, babies of mothers with gestational diabetes were significantly more likely to be in the group with the slowest growth or even a decrease in body mass index, the researchers noted.

"Surprisingly, infants (exposed to gestational diabetes) were more likely to experience slower body fat gain, but equivalent gain of lean body mass compared with infants of women without the condition, a trend called catch-down growth, which is typically seen in heavier babies who later align with typical growth patterns," Widen explained.