Research Reveals Surprising Advantages for Infants of Mothers with Gestational Diabetes
Researchers have discovered distinctive alterations in breast milk from mothers with gestational diabetes, which may affect infant development.
A recent study indicates that pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes can produce breast milk with special characteristics that may enhance infant growth and development.
This research, published in JAMA Network Open on Thursday, reveals that breast milk from mothers with gestational diabetes contains unique metabolites in higher concentrations, which are associated with infant growth patterns, including impacts on body composition and length.
Impact of GD on Breast Milk
In this study, researchers explored how GD affects the composition of human milk and its potential implications for infant growth.
The mothers participating in the study were aged between 21 and 45 years at delivery and had a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) ranging from 18.5 to 45. All participants experienced healthy pregnancies, delivered full-term infants, planned to breastfeed for at least three months, and had sufficient social support.
Among the mothers, 53 of them, with an average age of 34 years, had been diagnosed with GD, while the non-GD group had an average age of 30.7 years.
Related Stories
Milk samples were obtained from mothers one month postpartum, and the researchers evaluated various growth metrics of the infants, such as weight in relation to length and overall body composition.
The findings indicated that mothers with GD exhibited significant changes in nine out of 458 metabolites analyzed in their milk.
Notably, three metabolites—2-hydroxybutyric acid, stearoylcarnitine, and phenylacetic acid—showed associations with baby growth.
2-Hydroxybutyric acid, which was significantly elevated in the breast milk of women with GD, was associated with no change in body fat for infants during the first three months. In contrast, stearoylcarnitine, which was lower in breast milk from mothers with GD, was linked to rapid weight gain in infants. Additionally, phenylacetic acid, also reduced in milk from mothers with GD, correlated with changes in the length of children as they developed.
These results suggest that the breast milk composition altered by GD could impact an infant’s growth trajectories.
Health Implications of Gestational Diabetes
GD poses considerable health risks for infants, which is why medical professionals are proactive in managing the condition during pregnancy. “It’s crucial to control gestational diabetes because it supports the health of both mother and baby,” states Dr. Adi Davidov, an assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Staten Island University Hospital/Northwell Health in New York.
Dr. Davidov highlights the risk that uncontrolled gestational diabetes might result in fetal demise and notes that it can lead to conditions like fetal macrosomia, where the baby becomes excessively large, increasing the likelihood of birth injuries.
Uncontrolled diabetes early in pregnancy can also lead to congenital anomalies, particularly heart defects, he adds.
Moreover, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) represents another risk for infants born to mothers with GD.
Further Research Necessary
Despite these findings, the study’s authors caution that existing research on the link between GD and breastfeeding effects on infant health and growth is inconsistent. Some studies indicate that children breastfed by mothers with GD may face later-life issues related to insulin and weight challenges.
The researchers also noted that it remains unclear how an infant’s body metabolizes these compounds and whether the levels of these metabolites are causatively linked to the observed growth and body composition changes.
They concluded that this study only “identified candidate metabolites possibly involved in the connection between GD and infant growth,” emphasizing the need for further investigation to clarify their roles in infant health.
