Poor Muscle Health Linked to Higher Gestational Diabetes Risk

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Skeletal muscle plays a central role in glucose regulation, and its impairment may contribute to pregnancy-related complications. A new analysis presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2025 conference highlights a causal association between poor muscle health and increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

The analysis combined NHANES data with genetic datasets from the UK Biobank and FinnGen consortium. Among 1,890 women with a history of childbirth in NHANES, 229 had experienced GDM. This group showed significantly lower appendicular lean mass (ALM) and reduced grip strength compared with women without GDM.

Multivariate models confirmed inverse associations, with lower ALM and grip strength linked to higher likelihood of prior GDM. Mendelian randomization strengthened the causal inference, showing that reduced ALM (odds ratio 0.79) and reduced grip strength (odds ratio 0.65) both increased GDM risk.
These findings suggest that maintaining muscle mass and strength may represent a protective factor against gestational diabetes in women of reproductive age.

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Key highlights

Women with a history of GDM had significantly lower appendicular lean mass (ALM) and grip strength.
Cross-sectional analyses confirmed an inverse association between muscle health and GDM risk.
Mendelian randomization demonstrated that low ALM and grip strength causally increased GDM risk.
Preserving muscle mass and strength may help reduce the likelihood of developing GDM

Source

Lai F, Chen N, Xu C, et al. Appendicular lean mass, grip strength and risk of gestational diabetes. Presented at: 61st EASD Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes; September 15-19, 2025; Vienna, Austria. Diabetologia. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-025-06497-1#Sec15

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