Epigenetic Factors in Gestational Diabetes From Mother to Child: A Narrative Review

In 2020, it is estimated that 7.8% of all live births in the United States were complicated with gestational diabetes, with around 10% of all pregnancies in North America involving gestational diabetes. GDM’s prevalence has been increasing over time, likely due to the population’s rising BMI and increasing maternal age. GDM has been long associated with increased complications in pregnancy, from preeclampsia and macrosomia in the short-term, to long term ramifications including the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and potential effects on the offspring, including obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and increased risk of autism. Additionally, as the field of epigenetics continuously grows, we are able to further elucidate epigenetic mechanisms at play in the development of GDM and how these changes may affect the offspring. In this narrative review, we have compiled recent and relative clinical studies that highlight the role epigenetics may play in the development and perpetuation of GDM, as well as its possible effects on the offspring.