Research

Hormonal

Women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) exhibit significantly lower plasma adiponectin concentrations compared to women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), independent of body fat mass and insulin sensitivity.

If you have a history of gestational diabetes, your body likely produces less of a protective hormone called adiponectin than women who did not have GDM, even if your weight is normal. This is a known risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular issues. You should prioritize regular monitoring of your blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, as your body may be more prone to insulin resistance than the general population.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
pGDM showed lower (P < 0.0001) plasma adiponectin (6.7 ± 0.2 µg/ml) than NGT (9.8 ± 0.6 µg/ml)... After adjustment for body fat mass, plasma adiponectin remained lower in pGDM (P < 0.004)... CONCLUSIONS — Lower plasma adiponectin concentrations characterize women with previous GDM independently of the prevailing insulin sensitivity or the degree of obesity and are associated with subclinical inflammation and atherogenic parameters.
Christine Winzer et al. · Diabetes Care · 2004

Why this rating

The study uses a robust design with a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGT) to measure insulin sensitivity and a large enough sample size (89 pGDM vs 19 NGT) to show statistically significant differences (P < 0.0001).

Source

Plasma Adiponectin, Insulin Sensitivity, and Subclinical Inflammation in Women With Prior Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Christine Winzer et al. · Diabetes Care · 2004

DOI 10.2337/diacare.27.7.1721

cohort · n=108Cited 181×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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