Placental IGFBP1 levels during early pregnancy and the risk of insulin resistance and gestational diabetes.

Hivert, Marie-France, Frédérique White, Catherine Allard, Kaitlyn James, Sana Majid, François Aguet, Kristin G Ardlie, et al. 2024. “Placental IGFBP1 Levels During Early Pregnancy and the Risk of Insulin Resistance and Gestational Diabetes.”. Nature Medicine 30 (6): 1689-95.

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Abstract

Reduced insulin sensitivity (insulin resistance) is a hallmark of normal physiology in late pregnancy and also underlies gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We conducted transcriptomic profiling of 434 human placentas and identified a positive association between insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 gene (IGFBP1) expression in the placenta and insulin sensitivity at 26 weeks gestation. Circulating IGFBP1 protein levels rose over the course of pregnancy and declined postpartum, which, together with high gene expression levels in our placenta samples, suggests a placental or decidual source. Higher circulating IGFBP1 levels were associated with greater insulin sensitivity (lesser insulin resistance) at 26 weeks gestation in the same cohort and in two additional pregnancy cohorts. In addition, low circulating IGFBP1 levels in early pregnancy predicted subsequent GDM diagnosis in two cohorts of pregnant women. These results implicate IGFBP1 in the glycemic physiology of pregnancy and suggest a role for placental IGFBP1 deficiency in GDM pathogenesis.

Last updated on 08/28/2025
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Yeum, Dabin, Timothy J Renier, Travis D Masterson, Delaina D Carlson, Grace A Ballarino, Reina K Lansigan, Ruth J F Loos, Jennifer A Emond, and Diane Gilbert-Diamond. (2025) 2025. “Genetic Associations With Consumption of Palatable Foods in the Absence of Hunger in Response to Food Cues in Children.”. Pediatric Obesity 20 (4): e13168. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.13168.

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OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate obesity-related genetic factors in relation to excess consumption and assess if food cues modify associations.
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Publisher's Version

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate obesity-related genetic factors in relation to excess consumption and assess if food cues modify associations.
METHODS: Children (9-12 years) completed a randomized crossover experiment. During two visits, children ate a preload and then snacks ad libitum while watching television, embedded with food or non-food advertisements to assess eating in the absence of hunger (EAH). Primary exposures were obesity-associated genotypes, FTO rs9939609 and MC4R rs571312, and a paediatric-specific polygenic risk score (PRS). Outcomes included consumption of all snacks (total EAH) and gummy candy only (gummy candy EAH). Linear mixed-effects models tested whether genetic exposures related to EAH outcomes. We tested for effect modification by food cues using multiplicative interaction terms.
RESULTS: Among 177 children, each FTO risk allele was associated with a 30% increase in gummy candy EAH (p = 0.025) in adjusted models. Food cue exposure exacerbated associations between the FTO variant with gummy candy EAH (p = 0.046). No statistically significant associations were found between MC4R and EAH.
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