Sarcopenia Increases Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Study Highlights New Causal Link

Against the above background, Dongyu Wang, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China, and colleagues employed a bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate this complex relationship.

For this purpose, the researchers used data from FinnGen datasets and genome-wide association studies. They conducted a bi-directional MR study, starting with a forward MR analysis to assess the causal effect of sarcopenia on GDM risk, with sarcopenia-related traits as exposures and GDM as the outcome. In the reverse MR analysis, they evaluated whether GDM influenced sarcopenia-related traits. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the MR findings.

The study revealed the following findings:

• Forward MR analysis found that appendicular lean mass was associated with an increased risk of GDM (OR = 1.2182).
• Right-hand grip strength was linked to a higher risk of GDM (OR = 1.4194).
• Left-hand grip strength showed a significant association with increased GDM risk (OR = 1.6064).
• Usual walking pace was also associated with a higher risk of GDM (OR = 3.3676).
• Reverse MR results indicated that GDM had no causal effect on sarcopenia.
• There was no pleiotropy in the analysis.

"Our study provides further evidence that sarcopenia contributes to the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), while GDM does not have a causal effect on sarcopenia. This insight paves the way for targeted interventions and personalized care to help reduce the risk of GDM in pregnant individuals," the researchers wrote.

"Additional research is needed to better understand the complex physiological pathways involved and to develop effective prevention and management strategies," they concluded.

Reference:

Huang, Y., Zhao, S., Hong, J., Shen, L., Wang, Z., & Wang, D. (2025). Causal Associations Between Sarcopenia and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. International Journal of Women’s Health, 17, 259–269. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S494910