The study revealed that maternal obesity more than gestational diabetes reduced the formation of the placenta, its blood vessel density and surface area, and its capacity to exchange nutrients between the mother and developing child.
Both obesity and gestational diabetes impact placental hormone production and inflammation markers, suggesting that the placenta is indeed functioning abnormally.
The new insight enhances understanding of the mechanisms underlying poor pregnancy outcomes and the subsequent greater risk of poor neonatal and offspring health.
"As obesity and gestational diabetes often co-exist, the study highlights the importance of obesity over gestational diabetes in modulating placental structure and function, and begins to piece together how these placental changes may explain observed complications (For example - intrauterine death and stillbirths) and increased future non-communicable disease risk for both mother and baby," said Professor Mushi Matjila from the University of Cape Town.
The identification of specific changes in the placenta could lead to the potential development of future placenta-targeted treatments or screening tests that may improve the health outcomes of the mother and offspring, particularly in low-middle income countries, the researchers from the University of Cambridge said.
