Associations of Maternal rs1801131 Genotype in MTHFR and Serum Folate and Vitamin B12 with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Pregnant Women

Circumstantial evidence links one-carbon metabolism (OCM) related nutrients, such as folate and vitamin B-12, with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, few studies have evaluated the combined effects of these nutrients with OCM related gene polymorphisms on GDM. This study investigated whether OCM related genetic variants modified the associations of folate and B-12 with GDM. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for OCM related nutrients and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding main OCM related enzymes (MTHFR, MTR, and MTRR) on GDM. Higher folate concentrations were associated with increased GDM risk (OR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.13). However, higher B-12 concentrations were associated with reduced GDM risk (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.65, 0.92). Pregnancies with MTHFR rs1801131 G alleles had a significantly lower risk of GDM than pregnancies with T alleles (OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.91) under the dominant model. The genotype-stratified analysis revealed the association between folate and GDM (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.30) or B-12 and GDM (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.98) was more evident in pregnancies with TT genotype. Higher folate and lower B-12 are associated with GDM. Pregnancies with MTHFR rs1801131 TT genotype are more susceptible to OCM nutrient-related GDM.

Automated summary

This study found that higher folate concentrations were associated with increased risk of GDM, while higher B-12 concentrations were associated with reduced risk. Pregnancies with the MTHFR rs1801131 TT genotype were more susceptible to OCM nutrient-related GDM.