Background/Objectives: Vitamin D is required for bone growth and normal insulin secretion. Maternal hypovitaminosis D may impair fetal growth and increase the risk of gestational diabetes. We have related maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy to maternal and newborn glucose and insulin concentrations, and newborn size, in a South Indian population. Subjects/Methods: Serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations, glucose tolerance, and plasma insulin, proinsulin and 32-33 split proinsulin concentrations were measured at 30 weeks gestation in 559 women who delivered at the Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore. The babies' anthropometry and cord plasma glucose, insulin and insulin precursor concentrations were measured. Results: In total 66% of women had hypovitaminosis D (25(OH)D concentrations o50 nmol l À1 ) and 31% were below 28 nmol l À1 . There was seasonal variation in 25(OH)D concentrations (Po0.0001). There was no association between maternal 25(OH)D and gestational diabetes (incidence 7% in women with and without hypovitaminosis D). Maternal 25(OH)D concentrations were unrelated to newborn anthropometry or cord plasma variables. In mothers with hypovitaminosis D, higher 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with lower 30-min glucose concentrations (P ¼ 0.03) and higher fasting proinsulin concentrations (P ¼ 0.04). Conclusions: Hypovitaminosis D at 30 weeks gestation is common in Mysore mothers. It is not associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, impaired fetal growth or altered neonatal cord plasma insulin secretory profile.

Aim-To test the hypothesis that low plasma vitamin B12 concentrations combined with high folate concentrations in pregnancy are associated with higher incidence of gestational diabetes (GDM) and later diabetes.Methods-Women (N=785) attending the antenatal clinics of the Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, India had their anthropometry, insulin resistance (Homeostasis Model Assessment) and glucose tolerance assessed at 30 weeks gestation (100g Oral Glucose Tolerance Test/ OGTT; Carpenter-Coustan criteria), and five years after delivery (75g OGTT, WHO 1999). Vitamin B12 and folate concentrations in pregnancy were measured in stored frozen plasma samples.Results-Low vitamin B12 concentrations (<150 pmol/l, B12 deficiency) were observed in 43% of women and low folate concentrations (<7 nmol/l) in 4%. Women with vitamin B12 deficiency had higher body mass index (BMI; P<0.001), sum of skinfolds (P<0.001), insulin resistance (P=0.02) and a higher incidence of GDM (8.7% v 4.6%; OR=2.14, P=0.02; P=0.1 after adjusting for maternal BMI) than non-deficient women. Among vitamin B12-deficient women the incidence of GDM increased with folate concentration (5.6%, 8.8%, 12.8% respectively from lowest to highest third; P for interaction=0.2). B12 deficiency during pregnancy predicted larger skinfolds, increased insulin resistance (P<0.05) and incident diabetes at 5-year follow-up (P=0.02, after adjusting for current BMI).Conclusion-Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with increased adiposity and, in turn, with increased insulin resistance and GDM, especially in the presence of high folate concentrations. Vitamin B12 deficiency may be an important factor underlying the high risk of diabesity in south Asian Indians.

OBJECTIVETo test the hypothesis that maternal gestational diabetes increases cardiovascular risk markers in Indian children.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSAnthropometry, blood pressure, and glucose/insulin concentrations were measured in 514 children at 5 and 9.5 years of age (35 offspring of diabetic mothers [ODMs], 39 offspring of diabetic fathers [ODFs]). Children of nondiabetic parents were control subjects.RESULTSAt age 9.5 years, female ODMs had larger skinfolds (P < 0.001), higher glucose (30 min) and insulin concentrations, and higher homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance and systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05) than control subjects. Male ODMs had higher HOMA (P < 0.01). Associations were stronger than at age 5 years. Female ODFs had larger skinfolds and male ODFs had higher HOMA (P < 0.05) than control subjects; associations were weaker than for ODMs. Associations between outcomes in control subjects and parental BMI, glucose, and insulin concentrations were similar for mothers and fathers.CONCLUSIONSThe intrauterine environment experienced by ODMs increases diabetes and cardiovascular risk over genetic factors; the effects strengthen during childhood.

Folate and vitamin B-12 are essential for normal brain development. Few studies have examined the relationship of maternal folate and vitamin B-12 status during pregnancy and offspring cognitive function. To test the hypothesis that lower maternal plasma folate and vitamin B-12 concentrations and higher plasma homocysteine concentrations during pregnancy are associated with poorer neurodevelopment, 536 children (aged 9-10 y) from the Mysore Parthenon birth cohort underwent cognitive function assessment during 2007-2008 using 3 core tests from the Kaufman Assessment Battery, and additional tests measuring learning, long-term storage/retrieval, attention and concentration, and visuo-spatial and verbal abilities. Maternal folate, vitamin B-12, and homocysteine concentrations were measured at 30 +/- 2 wk gestation. During pregnancy, 4% of mothers had low folate concentrations (<7 nmol/L), 42.5% had low vitamin B-12 concentrations (<150 pmol/L), and 3% had hyperhomocysteinemia (>10 micromol/L). The children's cognitive test scores increased by 0.1-0.2 SD per SD increase across the entire range of maternal folate concentrations (P < 0.001 for all), with no apparent associations at the deficiency level. The associations with learning, long-term storage/retrieval, visuo-spatial ability, attention, and concentration were independent of the parents' education, socioeconomic status, religion, and the child's sex, age, current size, and folate and vitamin B-12 concentrations. There were no consistent associations of maternal vitamin B-12 and homocysteine concentrations with childhood cognitive performance. In this Indian population, higher maternal folate, but not vitamin B-12, concentrations during pregnancy predicted better childhood cognitive ability. It also suggests that, in terms of neurodevelopment, the concentration used to define folate deficiency may be set too low.

Intrauterine exposure to low 25(OH)D concentrations is associated with less muscle mass and higher insulin resistance in children.