Excessive weight gain during pregnancy not associated with gestational diabetes risk: Study

Taiwan: Results from a recent study in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation indicate that excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) prior to gestational diabetes (GDM) screening does not increase the risk for GDM development. 

The study found that the amount of GWG in the first trimester and before GDM screening did not change the risk of developing GDM. Also, women with GDM were found to have less GWG in the second trimester, following the GDM screening, and throughout gestation than women without GDM. Further, the researchers noted no significant associations between excessive GWG, during the first and second trimester (before GDM screening), and the later development of GDM. Excessive GWG was defined as s a weight gain above the 90th percentile of the whole population or exceeding the 2009 IOM recommendations.

Excessive weight gain is known to increase the risk of complications during pregnancy such as preeclampsia. However, a direct association between excessive GWG and gestational diabetes mellitus remains unclear.

To address the question of whether excessive GWG is directly correlated with gestational diabetes mellitus Fu-Ling Chu, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan, and colleagues retrospectively reviewed 8,352 women from an obstetric database with singleton pregnancies who gave birth after 28 completed weeks of gestation between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016.  Pregnancies complicated by fetal anomalies, fetal death, and overt diabetes were excluded. 

GDM diagnosis was based on the criteria recommended by the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups. Two classification methods were used to define excessive GWG: a weight gain above the 90th percentile of the population, or exceeding the upper range recommended by the Institute of Medicine, stratified by pre-pregnancy body mass index. The association between excessive GWG and the risk of GDM was determined using statistical analysis.

Overall, 1,129 women (13.5%) were diagnosed with GDM. 

The researchers concluded, "our results indicate that excessive GWG prior to GDM screening is not associated with an increased risk of GDM."

Reference:

The study titled, "The association between weight gain at different stages of pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus," is published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation. 

DOI: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdi.13648