The Impact of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on the Composition of Breast Milk: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a pregnancy complication that affects the health of both the infant and maternal. Breast milk is the optimal food for the infant, including nutrients that support the infant's physical metabolism and biologically active components that help the infant's functional development. This article is a systematic review of published literature on the effects of GDM on the component of mother’s milk. This review analyzed a total of 28 articles reporting a total of 83 breast milk constituents associated with GDM, 37 of which were biologically active. In conclusion, GDM may change human milk composition but the paucity of studies and the considerable heterogeneity of their designs and methods make it difficult to draw reliable and relevant conclusions.