Comparisons of Vitamin A and the Oxidative Stress Biomarker Levels in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: Studies examining the link between oxidative stress and serum levels of vitamin A in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are limited. The objective of this study was to compare the levels of maternal oxidative stress markers and vitamin A between normal pregnant women and women with GDM. STUDY DESIGN: The study consisted of healthy pregnant women and patients suffering from GDM. Maternal blood samples for oxidative stress markers and vitamin A of each subject were collected at delivery. The serum levels of oxidative stress markers and vitamin A were compared within the groups. RESULTS: Higher serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and lower serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) were observed in GDM cases as compared to controls (all p<0.001). The average serum vitamin A level in GDM women was also much lower than that in the controls (p<0.001). In addition, GDM women with vitamin A deficiency had higher serum levels of oxidative markers and lower serum levels of antioxidative markers than did those with vitamin A sufficiency (all p <0.01). CONCLUSION: Antioxidant defense mechanisms might be impaired in patients with GDM. Vitamin A deficiency might worsen the oxidative stress status in GDM women.