ABSTRACT
Objective:To assess the association of appendicular skeletal muscle mass(ASM) to fat mass(FM) ratio in early pregnancy with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Methods:A total of 468 pregnant women who visited the Nutritional Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital or Shunyi Maternal and Child Care Service Center in 2018 and 2019 were recruited. Detailed information and clinical data were collected. The body components were measured using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method during early pregnancy (< 14 weeks) and the ASM to FM ratio was calculated. The patients were divided into the GDM group and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group according to the results of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) performed during 24-28 weeks. Binary logistics regression was used to explore the correlation between the ASM/FM ratio and the risk of GDM. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of subjects was used to evaluate the predictive value of ASM/FM ratio for GDM and the cut-off value was reported.Results:Compared to the NGT group, the ASM and FM in early pregnancy in the GDM group were significantly higher, while the ASM/FM ratio was significantly lower. A lower ASM/FM ratio in early pregnancy was one of the risk factors of developing GDM. The cut-off value of the ASM/FM ratio was 0.809. The area under the ROC curve for predicting GDM increased from 68.1% to 72.3% when ASM/FM ratio was incorporated, with a significant difference by Delong test ( P = 0.006). Conclusion:Inadequate muscle mass would increase the risk of GDM and the ASM/FM ratio could serve as a predictor of GDM.