638 - Body Composition in Infants Born to Overweight Mothers With Gestational Diabetes

Publication Number: 638.3786

Ashley M. Dong, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Yasaman Salahmand, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los angeles, CA, United States; Sevgi G. Kafali, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Shu-Fu Shih, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Timoteo I. Delgado, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Encinitas, CA, United States; Shahnaz O. Ghahremani, UCLA Mattel Childrens Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7437, CA, United States; Holden H. Wu, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Kara L. Calkins, University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Background: Maternal obesity and gestational diabetes (GDM) increase the risk for childhood obesity and associated complications. Body composition during periods of critical development may explain different mechanisms and pathophysiological features underlying dysregulated metabolism.

Objective: In this study, we utilized free-breathing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantify body composition in infants born to lean mothers (CON group) and infants born to overweight mothers with GDM (AT RISK group).

Design/Methods: Subjects were recruited from the University of California Los Angeles (2000-2024) and were between 1-6 months of age with a gestational age > 35 weeks. Infants in the CON group were born to mothers with a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2 without GDM. Infants in the AT RISK group were born to mothers with a BMI 25 kg/m2 with GDM. MRIs were conducted using a high-resolution protocol without sedation or contrast on a 3 T MRI scanner. T1-weighted fat fraction scans were used to calculate subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) along with hepatic PDFF (HPDFF). PDFF measures tissue fat content and is validated marker for hepatic steatosis.

Results: 20 subjects completed the study (n=12, CON; n=8, AT RISK). The mean age (SD) in the CON and AT RISK group were similar (p=0.13). As expected, mothers in the AT RISK group had a higher pre-pregnancy BMI compared to the CON group (p < 0.0001) (Table 1). There was a trend indicating an increased VAT PDFF in the AT RISK group vs. CON group (p=0.2). HPDFF was higher than AT RISK group vs. CON group (p=0.03). Pre-pregnancy BMI was correlated with VAT PDFF (p < 0.02) (Fig 1).

Conclusion(s): In this study, compared to infants born to lean mothers, infants born to overweight mothers with GDM had a higher percentage of hepatic fat, and a mother’s pre-pregnancy BMI positively correlated with VAT-PDFF. Maternal obesity and GDM may set the stage for future metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Demographics
PAS Table 1.pdfData are reported as mean (SD) and % (n).

Body Composition
PAS Table 2.pdfData are reported as mean (SD).

Correlation between VAT PDFF and Mother’s Pre-pregnancy BMI (r2=0.26, p=0.02)
PAS Figure 1.pdf