An imbalance in gut microbes early on in pregnancy is linked with the onset and progression of gestational diabetes (GDM), research suggests.
The findings, in Microbiology Spectrum, could represent a new way to detect and manage the metabolic disorder, which poses substantial risks to the health of both mother and baby.
Gut microbiota signatures were associated with the development of GDM in the first trimester, demonstrating their potential as an early diagnostic biomarker. These microbiota profiles revealed valuable microbial biomarkers, which the researchers then used to create a highly accurate diagnostic model.
“These findings suggest that microbiota-based tools could enable early, non-invasive detection of GDM, offering new opportunities for prevention and personalized management,” reported Weirong Yao, from the Second Hospital of Zhangzhou in China, and co-workers.
“This research highlights the role of the gut microbiome in pregnancy and has important implications for improving maternal and fetal health outcomes.”
The gut microbiota is an ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms, and it plays a crucial role in maintaining a person’s health by participating in key physiological processes such as metabolism, immune regulation, and intestinal barrier function. During pregnancy, it undergoes dynamic changes to meet the host’s metabolic and immune demands, but there is also growing evidence suggesting that gut dysbiosis is closely associated with pregnancy-related disorders, including GDM.
To investigate further, the team analyzed the fecal microbiota of 61 pregnant women during the first trimester, at 11 to 13 weeks, using 16S rRNA sequencing.
These microbial profiles were then compared with results from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation and with clinical delivery outcomes. The results revealed significant differences in the composition of gut microbiota between pregnancies in which GDM developed and those in which it did not.
Differences were seen at both the phylum and genus levels early in gestation. Specifically, women with GDM had elevated levels of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and reduced levels of Bacteroidota at the phylum level.
At a genus level, there was an increased abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Klebsiella, with reduced levels of Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium.
Yao and team used the microbial differences to develop an early diagnostic model based on genus-level markers, which had high diagnostic precision, with an area under the receiver operating curve of 98.23.
In future, the researchers say they would like to study more women and integrate advanced multi-omics approaches such as fecal metabolomics and plasma proteomics into their study in order to achieve a more comprehensive analysis.
“These results provide a foundation for new strategies in GDM early warning and intervention and lay the groundwork for developing gut microbiota-based diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches,” they concluded.
