Key insightsey
sFetal macrosomia is a term used to define newborns who are significantly larger than average (birth weight ≥4,000 g). Between 15 and 45% of newborns of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are macrosomic (in comparison to 12% of newborns of normal mothers). Macrosomic infants of women with GDM have a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese at a young age and are more likely to develop type II diabetes later
in life. The findings from several studies suggest that epigenetic alterations in different fetal genes could result in the transmission of GDM and type II diabetes from mothers to their offspring.