Folate Overload and the Placental Hormone Axis: A Hidden Risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
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Background
The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Australia has increased more than threefold, from 5.6% in 2010 to 19.3% in 2022. The onset of the sharp upward trend coincides with the introduction of mandatory folic acid (FA) food fortification and increased FA supplementation during pregnancy. Animal studies provide evidence that high FA intake in pregnancy can induce insulin resistance and hyperglycaemia in the mother and/or the offspring, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown.
Objective
To determine whether high FA intake has altered maternal folate status in a manner that increases GDM risk, and whether key hormones that regulate maternal glucose homeostasis are affected following fortification.
Methods
We measured serum folate, red cell folate (RCF), prolactin (PRL), human placental lactogen (hPL) and placental growth hormone (GH2) in early pregnancy blood samples collected from women enrolled in two prospective cohorts: SCOPE (N=1164) recruited before the FA fortification mandate and STOP (N=1300) recruited after its implementation.
Results
Compared to women pre-fortification, women post fortification had a higher incidence of GDM (5.0% vs 15.2%), and elevated levels of serum folate (↑18%), RCF (↑259%), hPL (↑29%), and GH2 (↑13%). RCF concentrations above the clinical reference range were found in 57.6% of women post fortification. Causal mediation analysis suggests that higher RCF contributed to increased GDM risk in this group. Compared to women with RCF concentrations within the reference range, those with RCF excess (defined as concentrations well above this range) had 48% more GDM cases, and significantly higher PRL (↑24.2%) and hPL (↑12.7%) concentrations.
Conclusions
Maternal folate excess is likely contributing to the rising prevalence of GDM in Australia. These findings highlight the need to evaluate excess FA/folate safety in pregnancy, particularly in countries with mandatory fortification. Placental hormones may represent a mechanistic link between excess folate and GDM, warranting further investigation.
