Weng X, et al. - Experts aspired to clarify the changes in methylation levels in the foetuses of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Additionally, they examined the possible mechanisms linking maternal GDM with a high risk of metabolic diseases in offspring later in life. Using Infinium HumanMethylation 450 BeadChip assays, an analysis was conducted of the umbilical cord blood of infants born to 30 women with GDM and 33 women with normal pregnancy. It was noted that GDM displayed epigenetic effects on genes involved in the Type I diabetes mellitus pathway, immune MHC (major histocompatibility complex)-related pathways and neuron development-related pathways, with consequences on fetal growth and development. Findings disclosed the involvement of DNA methylation in fetal metabolic programming.