Page KA, et al. - In this investigation, researchers assessed if in humans that in utero exposure to maternal obesity and/or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was correlated with changes in the hypothalamic response to glucose, and if this altered response could predict larger increases in child adiposity one year later. The study sample consisted of 91 children (aged 7–11 years) with and without in utero exposure to GDM. Investigators observed that maternal pre-pregnancy BMI has been positively linked to the hypothalamic glucose response of the child. Greater hypothalamic glucose response predicted higher increases in BMI 1 year later in the child. Overall, the authors concluded that increased glucose-linked hypothalamic activation during childhood is a possible mechanism by which exposure during fetal development to maternal metabolic disorders increases future risk of obesity.