Boys but Not Girls Exposed to Maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Have Unfavorable Fat Distribution

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and overweight are associated with an increased risk of obesity and the metabolic syndrome in the adult offspring. We studied the influence of maternal GDM on prepubertal children’s body composition and bone mineral biochemistry. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A total of 134 prepubertal Caucasian children (age range 4.4–9.7 years) were studied in a controlled cross-sectional study. Seventy-six children had been exposed to maternal GDM and 58 children born after a normal pregnancy served as controls. The outcome variables were body fat %, android fat %, gynoid fat %, android/gynoid fat ratio, bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), muscle mass, lean mass (LM) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, ionized calcium, phosphate, and alkaline phosphatase concentrations. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were no differences in body fat %, android fat %, BMD, BMC, muscle mass, or LM between the study groups. Gynoid fat % was higher in the GDM than control children (<i>p</i> = 0.03). Android fat %, gynoid fat %, and android/gynoid fat ratio were higher in the GDM boys than control boys (<i>p</i> = 0.046, 0.037, and 0.038) respectively, but no differences were found between the GDM and control girls. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Boys exposed to maternal GDM presented with more unfavorable fat distribution than their controls, whereas no difference was found between the girls. Otherwise, the differences in body composition were minimal between prepubertal GDM and control children.