A latest study examined the effects of increased levels of one particular liver enzyme and found that it posed high risk of gestational diabetes in women.
For the study, the researchers studied medical data of 256 women with gestational diabetes and 497 women without the condition. All the participants provided blood samples between 1985 and 1996. The women all gave birth in Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region. With the help of blood samples, the researchers examined a liver enzyme known as gamma-glutaymyl transferase (GGT). GGT is a marker of liver function and has been tied to insulin resistance. They also considered factors such as body mass index (BMI) and alcohol use.
The findings revealed that women with elevated levels of GGT were two times more likely to get gestational diabetes compared to women with the lowest levels of GGT.
Gestational diabetes means an intolerance to glucose during pregnancy and can lead to pregnancy complications. It can cause obesity in children born to such moms and they also carry the risk of developing diabetes later on in life.
"A few studies have looked at liver enzyme levels during pregnancy and the risk of gestational diabetes, but to our knowledge this is the first to look at liver enzyme levels measured before pregnancy," said lead author Sneha Sridhar, MPH, project coordinator with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, according to the press release.
"Several biomarkers appear to be associated with the risk of gestational diabetes," said Monique M. Hedderson, PhD, senior author of the study and research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA. "This study and others we've done provide evidence that women who develop gestational diabetes have metabolic abnormalities even before pregnancy. In the future, we could potentially try to prevent gestational diabetes by intervening before women get pregnant."
The study was published in 'Diabetes Care.'
