Relationship between Maternal Central Obesity and the Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies

OBJECTIVE: . We searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for English-language medical literature published up to 12 May 2019. Cohort studies were only included in the search. Abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio or body fat distribution were elected as measures of maternal central obesity, and all diagnostic criteria for GDM were accepted. The random effect meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between central obesity and the risk of GDM. The subgroup analyses showed that heterogeneity was affected by selected study characteristics (methods of exposure and trimesters). After adjusting for potential confounds, the OR of adjusted BMI was significant (OR = 3.07, 95% CI: 2.35-4.00). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the risk of GDM was positively associated with maternal central obesity.