Gestational diabetes & diabetes in pregnancy
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Accelerated Biological Aging in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women
Main finding · PhenoAge accelerationResult — go to the resultIncrease in PhenoAge acceleration 2.34 years 95% CI 2.02–2.66Authors' conclusion
Women with a history of GDM were biologically older than their non-GDM counterparts. The biological aging acceleration partially accounted for the associations between GDM and adverse health outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Parous middle-aged and elderly women, UK Biobank, baseline 2006–2010; mean age 57.0 (SD 7.9) years
- Participants
- 178,363 participants
- Exposure
- History of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) vs no GDM
- GDMn = 1,141
- Outcome
- PhenoAge acceleration (residual of PhenoAge regressed on chronological age; PhenoAge from chronological age and nine biomarkers)
- Follow-up
- Baseline (2006-2010)
Methodological detailsUK Biobank, multivariable-adjusted, mediation analysis
- UK Biobank
- Multivariable-adjusted
- Mediation analysis
Main finding
PhenoAge acceleration
Increase in phenotypic age (PhenoAge) acceleration
2.34 years
95% CI 2.02–2.66
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
PhenoAge acceleration by T2D and related comorbidities after GDM
- Association persisted regardless of occurrence of T2D and related comorbidities after GDM
Subgroups: physical activity and obesity
- Consistent across subgroups; GDM-related PhenoAge acceleration more prominent with less physical activity and obesity
- both Pinteraction < 0.01
Proportion of GDM associations explained by PhenoAge acceleration (mediation)
- All-cause mortality
- 57.0% (95% CI 21.0, 86.9)
- T2D
- 12.4% (7.3, 20.4)
- CVD
- 21.9% (14.0, 32.5)
Original publication
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Accelerated Biological Aging in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women. Diabetes Care. Published 16 December 2025. doi:10.
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