Relationship of gestational diabetes with serum levels of retinol

Individuals with diabetes mellitus have been considered as a group at risk of showing deficiency of micronutrients and some vitamins. Accordingly, women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have also been identified as a group at risk of presenting low levels of vitamin A, however, research in this field has come to different conclusions. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship of gestational diabetes mellitus with serum level of vitamin A.

This was a case-control study in which 41 pregnant women with GDM and 41 healthy women were recruited. Two groups were matched regarding age, gestational age and body mass index. A 5 ml venous blood sample were drawn and analyzed with the high performance liquid chromatography for measuring retinol and. At last data were analyzed through Chi-square and t test.

The mean serum retinol of the GDM group was 0.46 µg/dl and in the control group it was 0.59 mg/dl (p = 0.01).

The level of retinol in the diabetic pregnant women was significantly lower than that in the control group. This reduction may be due to the reduced antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A in women with GDM.