Association of Serum Vitamin D3 and Leptin Levels in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Baghdad
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Background: White adipocytes secrete leptin, which regulates hunger and body weight. During pregnancy, leptin promotes glucose metabolism and fetal development by acting autocrinely and paracrinely in adipose tissue and the placenta.
Methods: This case–control study from January 2024 through June 2025, researchers studied the leptin, body mass index (BMI), glucose, and lipid profiles of 30 pregnant women with gestational diabetes and 30 pregnant women without diabetes. Women were asked to provide blood samples at the beginning, middle, and end of their pregnancies. Ligand for peptidin-D3. Sixty pregnant women were included..
Results: There was no significant age difference between the groups. GDM patients had substantially higher fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels than controls (p < 0.001). The GDM group had considerably lower serum vitamin D3 levels and significantly higher leptin levels (p < 0.05). Leptin had substantial positive relationships with RBS and HbA1c (r = 0.769 and 0.793; p < 0.001), while vitamin D3 had a negative connection with RBS, HbA1c, and leptin (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Gestational diabetes mellitus is associated with lower blood vitamin D3 and higher leptin levels, both of which are substantially connected with poor glycemic control. These findings point to a possible role for vitamin D deficiency and leptin dysregulation in the pathogenesis of GDM.
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