The Late-Gestational Triglyceride to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio Is Associated with Neonatal Macrosomia in Women without Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Objective. To investigate the associations between late-gestational dyslipidemia, expressed as the ratio between triglycerides (TGs) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and the risk of macrosomia among nondiabetic pregnant women. Methods. In this case-control study, 171 pregnant women who delivered macrosomia newborns were recruited from a total of 1856 nondiabetic pregnant women who delivered a singleton, nonanomalous newborn. A total of 684 normal controls were one-to-four matched by age. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between the TG/HDL ratio and the neonatal body weight as well as the risk of macrosomia. Results. The maternal serum TG and TG/HDL levels were much higher in the macrosomia group, while the maternal serum HDL-C levels were much lower in the macrosomia group than those in the control group. However, the serum total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C levels were not significantly different between the two groups. Furthermore, maternal TG/HDL levels were positively associated with neonatal body weight. The confounding factors including maternal age, maternal height, gestational age, maternal body mass index (BMI), FPG, SBP, and neonatal sex were adjusted. A positive association between TG/HDL and neonatal body weight was still found. Moreover, the prevalence of macrosomia increased markedly in a dose-dependent manner as with maternal TG/HDL levels increased. Conclusions. Maternal serum TG/HDL levels at late gestation are positively associated with neonatal body weight and the risk of macrosomia in women without DM. Maintaining maternal lipid levels in an appropriate range is important in the context of fetal overgrowth and primary prevention of macrosomia.