Up to 50% of patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) go on to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so a predictive test for this transition would greatly aid patient management. In a new study published in Diabetes, investigators enrolled a prospective cohort of 1,035 women with GDM and monitored them for progression to T2DM for 2 years. Using plasma obtained during fasting, the team performed metabolomics assays and identified a panel of 21 metabolites that could predict the incidence of T2DM with a higher level of discrimination than fasting glucose levels measured by oral glucose tolerance test. The authors hope that such a metabolomics test can replace the frequent oral glucose tolerance tests used to screen women who have had GDM.
References
Allalou, A. et al. A predictive metabolic signature for the transition from gestational diabetes to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/db15-1720 (2016)
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Geach, T. A metabolomic signature to predict the transition from GDM to T2DM. Nat Rev Endocrinol 12, 498 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2016.115
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2016.115
