Insulin levels at 18-20 gestational weeks in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborn abdominal fat deposition and DNA methylation in cord blood

Alice Maguolo; Josefine Jönsson; Alexander Perfilyev; Allan Vaag; Emma Malchau Carlsen; Kirsten Nørgaard; Paul W Franks; Kristina M Renault; Charlotte Ling

doi:10.1186/s13148-025-01923-y

Insulin levels at 18-20 gestational weeks in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborn abdominal fat deposition and DNA methylation in cord blood

Alice Maguolo^*, Josefine Jönsson, Alexander Perfilyev, Allan Vaag, Emma Malchau Carlsen, Kirsten Nørgaard, Paul W Franks, Kristina M Renault, Charlotte Ling

^*Corresponding author for this work

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We assessed if fasting plasma insulin levels in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborns' abdominal fat deposition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and with cord blood DNA methylation (450k array) in 232 mother-child pairs from the Treatment of Obese Pregnant women (TOP) study. Fasting maternal insulin at 18-20gw was associated with abdominal/total fat mass ratio in newborns independent of multiple potential confounders (β = 0.23[95%CI: 0.01; 0.45], P = 0.041) and with cord blood DNA methylation at CpG sites annotated to C11orf54 and RARB (FDR < 10%), both genes potentially involved in metabolic programming. In conclusion, maternal insulin levels in pregnancy were associated with adiposity traits and epigenetics in the offspring.

Original language	English
Article number	123
Journal	Clinical Epigenetics
Volume	17
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	123
ISSN	1868-7075
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-025-01923-y
Publication status	Published - Dec 2025

Keywords

Humans
Female
Pregnancy
DNA Methylation
Fetal Blood/chemistry
Infant, Newborn
Adult
Insulin/blood
Abdominal Fat/metabolism
Obesity/blood
Pregnancy Complications/blood
Gestational Age
Epigenesis, Genetic
CpG Islands
Absorptiometry, Photon
Early life
Maternal insulin
Body composition
Fetal programming
Abdominal adiposity
DNA methylation
Epigenetics
Diabetes

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10.1186/s13148-025-01923-yLicence: CC BY

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Maguolo, A., Jönsson, J., Perfilyev, A., Vaag, A., Malchau Carlsen, E., Nørgaard, K., Franks, P. W., Renault, K. M., & Ling, C. (2025). Insulin levels at 18-20 gestational weeks in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborn abdominal fat deposition and DNA methylation in cord blood. Clinical Epigenetics, 17(1), 123. Article 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-025-01923-y

Insulin levels at 18-20 gestational weeks in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborn abdominal fat deposition and DNA methylation in cord blood. / Maguolo, Alice; Jönsson, Josefine; Perfilyev, Alexander et al.
In: Clinical Epigenetics, Vol. 17, No. 1, 123, 12.2025, p. 123.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Maguolo, A, Jönsson, J, Perfilyev, A, Vaag, A , Malchau Carlsen, E , Nørgaard, K, Franks, PW, Renault, KM & Ling, C 2025, 'Insulin levels at 18-20 gestational weeks in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborn abdominal fat deposition and DNA methylation in cord blood', Clinical Epigenetics, vol. 17, no. 1, 123, pp. 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-025-01923-y

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abstract = "We assessed if fasting plasma insulin levels in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborns' abdominal fat deposition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and with cord blood DNA methylation (450k array) in 232 mother-child pairs from the Treatment of Obese Pregnant women (TOP) study. Fasting maternal insulin at 18-20gw was associated with abdominal/total fat mass ratio in newborns independent of multiple potential confounders (β = 0.23[95\%CI: 0.01; 0.45], P = 0.041) and with cord blood DNA methylation at CpG sites annotated to C11orf54 and RARB (FDR < 10\%), both genes potentially involved in metabolic programming. In conclusion, maternal insulin levels in pregnancy were associated with adiposity traits and epigenetics in the offspring.",

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AU - Maguolo, Alice

AU - Jönsson, Josefine

AU - Perfilyev, Alexander

AU - Vaag, Allan

AU - Malchau Carlsen, Emma

AU - Nørgaard, Kirsten

AU - Franks, Paul W

AU - Renault, Kristina M

AU - Ling, Charlotte

PY - 2025/12

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N2 - We assessed if fasting plasma insulin levels in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborns' abdominal fat deposition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and with cord blood DNA methylation (450k array) in 232 mother-child pairs from the Treatment of Obese Pregnant women (TOP) study. Fasting maternal insulin at 18-20gw was associated with abdominal/total fat mass ratio in newborns independent of multiple potential confounders (β = 0.23[95%CI: 0.01; 0.45], P = 0.041) and with cord blood DNA methylation at CpG sites annotated to C11orf54 and RARB (FDR < 10%), both genes potentially involved in metabolic programming. In conclusion, maternal insulin levels in pregnancy were associated with adiposity traits and epigenetics in the offspring.

AB - We assessed if fasting plasma insulin levels in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborns' abdominal fat deposition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and with cord blood DNA methylation (450k array) in 232 mother-child pairs from the Treatment of Obese Pregnant women (TOP) study. Fasting maternal insulin at 18-20gw was associated with abdominal/total fat mass ratio in newborns independent of multiple potential confounders (β = 0.23[95%CI: 0.01; 0.45], P = 0.041) and with cord blood DNA methylation at CpG sites annotated to C11orf54 and RARB (FDR < 10%), both genes potentially involved in metabolic programming. In conclusion, maternal insulin levels in pregnancy were associated with adiposity traits and epigenetics in the offspring.

KW - Humans

KW - Female

KW - Pregnancy

KW - DNA Methylation

KW - Fetal Blood/chemistry

KW - Infant, Newborn

KW - Adult

KW - Insulin/blood

KW - Abdominal Fat/metabolism

KW - Obesity/blood

KW - Pregnancy Complications/blood

KW - Gestational Age

KW - Epigenesis, Genetic

KW - CpG Islands

KW - Absorptiometry, Photon

KW - Early life

KW - Maternal insulin

KW - Body composition

KW - Fetal programming

KW - Abdominal adiposity

KW - DNA methylation

KW - Epigenetics

KW - Diabetes

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DO - 10.1186/s13148-025-01923-y

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 40646607

SN - 1868-7075

VL - 17

SP - 123

JO - Clinical Epigenetics

JF - Clinical Epigenetics

IS - 1

M1 - 123

ER -

Insulin levels at 18-20 gestational weeks in pregnant women with obesity are associated with newborn abdominal fat deposition and DNA methylation in cord blood

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