Early-pregnancy trunk phase angle derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis for the prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a significant health concern during pregnancy, with a substantial impact on maternal and fetal health outcomes. Early prediction and identification of high-risk individuals are crucial for timely intervention and management. The present study aimed to evaluate first-trimester predictors of GDM and develop an early risk model. A total of 125 women were enrolled and followed until 24–28 gestational weeks for a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Participants were classified into a GDM group or a normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group according to standard diagnostic criteria. General clinical characteristics, fasting biochemical parameters, and body-composition variables were collected in early pregnancy. Body composition was measured at 13 weeks using a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer (InBody 770). The results showed that GDM was associated with higher age, pre-pregnancy body mass index (p-BMI), assisted conception, family hyperglycemia, first-trimester weight gain, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, TyG, lipids, neutrophils, uric acid, and most body-composition indices. Logistic regression analysis revealed that trunk phase angle, measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis, was a significant predictor of GDM. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and bootstrap validation demonstrated the robustness of this predictor. Calibration plots and decision curve analysis further validated the performance of the model. These findings suggest that early-pregnancy trunk phase angle derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis may be a useful tool for predicting GDM. However, it is essential to note that this study was conducted in a specific population and may not be generalizable to all pregnant women. Therefore, further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore the potential of this predictor in clinical practice. Due to the research-use-only nature of this peptide, it is not intended for clinical use and should only be used for laboratory research purposes.