What is already known
Gestational diabetes mellitus, or GDM, is a condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels that develop during pregnancy, and it poses substantial risks to maternal and child health. Some studies have pointed to the maternal gut microbiota’s involvement in GDM, but its exact role in the condition remains unclear.
What this research adds
Researchers analyzed 1,566 stool samples from 264 mother-baby pairs and found that mothers with GDM had lower gut microbiota richness and diversity during early pregnancy compared to mothers without the condition. Mothers with GDM also had lower levels of beneficial gut bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila and Coprococcus eutactus. However, these differences diminished by the end of pregnancy. Infants born to mothers with GDM had increased gut microbiota richness and diversity in the first year of age. These babies also showed an increased head circumference growth and body mass index — a common proxy for obesity — as well as increased levels of Clostridium paraputrificum in their guts.
Conclusions
The findings highlight the critical role of the gut microbiota in maternal and infant health, especially in the context of GDM.
Gestational diabetes mellitus, or GDM, is a condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels that develop during pregnancy, and it poses substantial risks to maternal and child health. Now, an analysis of microbiota samples revealed key differences between mothers with GDM and those without the condition.
The findings, published in Cell Host & Microbe, highlight the critical role of the gut microbiota in maternal and infant health, especially in the context of GDM.
The gut microbiota is known to play a pivotal role in maternal and infant health by aiding in nutrient absorption and interacting with the immune system. Infants born to mothers with GDM face increased risks of developing conditions such as cardio-metabolic disorders and autism compared to children born to mothers without GDM. Although some studies have pointed to the maternal gut microbiota’s involvement in GDM, its exact role in the condition remains unclear.
To address this question, researchers led by Shilan Wang at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in China analyzed 1,566 stool samples from 264 mother-baby pairs.
Microbial differences
The participants were part of the MOMmy study, based in Hong Kong, which examines the transmission of microbiota between mothers and infants and its implications for long-term health. Among 981 women enrolled in the MOMmy study, 90 were diagnosed with GDM.
The researchers found that mothers with GDM had lower gut microbiota richness and diversity during early pregnancy compared to mothers without the condition. Mothers with GDM also had lower levels of beneficial gut bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila and Coprococcus eutactus. However, these differences diminished by the end of pregnancy, the researchers found.
Older age and being overweight were also associated with reduced microbial richness and diversity, which suggests that these factors may also influence a mother’s microbiota composition.
Microbiota influence
Infants born to mothers with GDM had increased gut microbiota richness and diversity in the first year of age. These babies also showed an increased head circumference growth and a higher body mass index — a common proxy for obesity — compared to infants born to mothers without GDM.
These growth patterns were associated with increased levels of Clostridium paraputrificum in the gut microbiota, the researchers found. In male infants, head circumference growth was linked to the presence of specific enzymes involved in the synthesis of compounds that can affect the nervous system — a finding that may indicate sex-specific effects on neurodevelopment.
Understanding how the gut microbiota influences maternal and infant health during pregnancy and early life could pave the way for targeted interventions to mitigate health risks associated with GDM, the authors say. Future studies, they add, should investigate microbiota-based therapies as potential strategies for preventing and managing GDM.
