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Current Diabetes Reports
Published in: Current Diabetes Reports 5/2014

Open Access 01-05-2014 | Diabetes and Pregnancy (CJ Homko, Section Editor)

Long-Term Health Outcomes in Offspring Born to Women with Diabetes in Pregnancy

Authors: Abigail Fraser, Debbie A. Lawlor

Published in: Current Diabetes Reports | Issue 5/2014

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Abstract

In this review, we critically assess recent evidence from human studies regarding the potential implications of exposure to maternal diabetes in-utero for long-term adiposity, cardiometabolic outcomes, and cognitive ability of the offspring. Evidence supports a direct causal role for exposure to maternal diabetes in utero in determining offspring long-term greater adiposity and adverse cardiometabolic health. Although a majority of observational studies report associations of exposure to maternal pregnancy diabetes with lower cognitive ability, there is also evidence supporting an opposite ‘protective’ intrauterine effect of exposure to maternal pregnancy diabetes on offspring cognitive ability. Epigenetic modification has been suggested as a mediator on the pathways from maternal pregnancy diabetes to long-term offspring outcomes and several recent studies that are reviewed here lend some support to this notion, but research in this area is still too novel to be conclusive.
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Metadata
Title
Long-Term Health Outcomes in Offspring Born to Women with Diabetes in Pregnancy
Authors
Abigail Fraser
Debbie A. Lawlor
Publication date
01-05-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Diabetes Reports / Issue 5/2014
Print ISSN: 1534-4827
Electronic ISSN: 1539-0829
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-014-0489-x

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