Gestational Diabetes is Associated With ADHD in Children

A study by Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found that children whose mothers suffered from gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy are more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and externalizing behavior. The study by Dr. Rachelle Pretorius, honorary researcher at ECU, and Professor Rae-Chi Huang examined data from 200,000 mother-child pairs in Europe and Australia and found that children aged 7 to 10 whose mothers had gestational diabetes consistently exhibited more severe ADHD symptoms.

How Maternal Diabetes Increases the Risk of ADHD in Children

Children aged 4 to 6 whose mothers had gestational diabetes consistently showed more externalizing problems than children whose mothers did not have gestational diabetes. “Externalizing symptoms are outwardly directed behaviors. Instead of depression or anxiety, these children often display hyperactivity, impulsivity, defiance, or aggression, explained Dr. Pretorius. “Externalizing problems often occur alongside ADHD symptoms and tend to appear before medical intervention, especially in the early school years,” she added. “At younger ages, children may show more externalizing problems, and as the child matures, symptoms or behaviors associated with ADHD may become more apparent. ADHD has no biological markers for diagnosis, making it a disorder that is difficult to identify before symptoms appear,” said Professor Huang.

It is still unclear why children exposed to gestational diabetes retained more externalizing problems or ADHD symptoms after adjustments. However, according to the researchers, the findings suggest that these externalizing behaviors may decrease over time but could extend to other areas such as neurological developmental outcomes such as ADHD symptoms.

Dr. Pretorius noted that the exact mechanisms by which gestational diabetes affects child development are still unclear, but it is believed that acute and chronic inflammation in the mother during pregnancy may influence certain pathways in the brain programming of the child in utero and contribute to neurological, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities later in life. Several studies suggest that the severity of maternal diabetes, combined with maternal obesity and chronic inflammation, has a combined effect on the development of autism spectrum disorders and ADHD in children that is greater than the effect of each condition alone.

Being Really Overweight Also Plays a Role

In fact, earlier research from Spain already found that kids born to women with gestational diabetes and obesity were twice as likely to have ADHD as kids born to moms without obesity. The researchers found this association only in women with gestational diabetes, obesity, and excessive weight gain during pregnancy. They did not observe an increased risk of ADHD in children of women with gestational diabetes and obesity when these women’s weight gain during pregnancy was within the normal range. Further studies are needed to confirm the link between gestational diabetes, obesity, and ADHD in offspring.