Mothers with controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can give birth to babies with normal levels of body fat.

Researchers found that GDM mothers who controlled their blood glucose levels with diet, exercise, self-monitoring of glucose and insulin if required, gave birth to babies with no difference in body fat percentage to non-GDM babies.

The results contrasted with previous studies which showed that even if GDM mothers controlled their baby’s birth weight, their infants still had higher body fat and increased risks of complications during labour and birth, and obesity and diabetes after birth.