Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)/ Type 2 Diabetes –
Pathogenesis and Prevention
Gestational diabetes, defined as glucose intolerance that begins or is first recognized during pregnancy, has a prevalence of 2-6% with an increasing trend across most racial/ethnic groups studied. Women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes postpartum. Results from our prospective German Gestational-diabetes-study showed that women who required insulin treatment during pregnancy had a postpartum diabetes-risk of 61% by 3 years postpartum. One focus of our research group is to identify risk factors and mechanisms that are related to postpartum diabetes-risk in a cohort of more than 800 mothers with gestational diabetes (Prospective German Gestational-diabetes-study and POGO-study).
Furthermore we are conducting two studies aiming to prevent postpartum onset of diabetes in women with gestational diabetes. In the PINGUIN study mothers are administered a DPP4-inhibitor postpartum and are advised to change lifestyle; the MUKIS-study investigates whether a change in activity behavior may prevent postpartum diabetes in mothers with gestational diabetes.
Several studies indicated that in utero exposure to gestational diabetes is a strong risk factor for overweight and type 2 diabtes in the offspring during childhood and adolescence. Therefore a second objective is to identify mechanisms underlying the increased overweight risk in offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes. By following more than 800 offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes (Prospective German Gestational-diabetes-study and POGO-study), an in depth analysis of genetic and environmental determinants of overweight and type 2 diabetes and mechanistic studies, in particular microbiome analysis, are performed.
Contact person: Dr. oec. troph. Sandra Hummel
Phone: +49-(0)89 / 3187 - 4599
Email: Sandra.Hummel@helmholtz-muenchen.de