Children show distinct cardiometabolic risk profiles as early as preschool age
A recent LongITools study, published in the journal Acta Paediatrica, investigated the link between children’s cardiometabolic health profiles, their mothers’ blood sugar levels in the second trimester of pregnancy, and gestational diabetes.
The results showed that one profile, in which children had higher body fat levels, higher blood pressure and insulin resistance, was marginally associated with maternal hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. This profile was linked to children with an earlier adiposity rebound – a marker of adverse cardiometabolic health in later life.
Methodology
Previous studies have examined maternal glycaemic disorders (high blood sugar in pregnant women) in relation to specific cardiometabolic outcomes in offspring. This study, however, looked at the data from a broader perspective, examining the overall ‘integrated health profile’ of children.
The research accessed data on over 2,000 pregnant women in the EDEN birth cohort study, in which women between 24 and 28 weeks pregnant were recruited from 2003 to 2006 in maternity clinics in Nancy and Poitiers in France. For the study, 647 mothers with children who had provided a fasting blood parameter test were included. This enabled researchers to compare longer-term health trajectories between individuals and divide the children into distinct categories.
Findings
Four different cardiometabolic health profiles were identified in boys and girls aged 5-6 years. The four profiles were based on various health factors, such as insulin resistance (how our bodies process sugar) and adiposity levels (the amount of fat someone has stored in their body). One of the four categories had a particularly elevated risk of future cardiometabolic disease, regardless of sex.
Interestingly, there were only marginal associations between maternal hyperglycaemia in pregnancy and children’s cardiometabolic health profiles. It was associated with one grouping – higher body fat, higher blood pressure and insulin resistance – in boys. In girls, it was linked with the grouping that had higher triglycerides (a common type of fat), higher LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol), and lower HDL (‘good’ cholesterol).
What does this mean?
The research, led by Wen Lun Yuan from INSERM, highlighted how analysing individual health factors in isolation is limiting. She suggests:
“Strategies for preventing childhood cardiometabolic health issues, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart conditions, should consider a broad range of risk factors, rather than relying on adiposity screening as a sole indicator. This is needed to support accurate prediction or prevention of health issues over longer periods.”
Further studies may be needed to investigate these groupings and trends during different developmental stages, as well as in alternative environments, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. This collaborative study is part of ongoing investigations within the LongITools project into how cardiometabolic risk profiles in childhood track into adulthood, helping us understand their long-term health implications.
Paper
Wen Lun Yuan et al. The Adverse Influence of Maternal Glycaemia During Pregnancy on Offspring’s Cardiometabolic Health Profiles. Acta Paediatrica (2025).
Contact email: wenlun.yuan@inserm.fr
