Gut microbiota: The Key to the Early Prediction of Gestational Diabetes?

A groundbreaking study led by Prof. Omry Koren of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University, published in one of the leading journals in the field of microbiota, reveals a connection between the gut microbiota of pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy, and the development of gestational diabetes in later stages of the pregnancy. In the study, blood and stool samples were collected from hundreds of women in the early stages of their pregnancy, and their gut microbiota was profiled using advanced technologies. Researchers demonstrated that in stool samples collected from women in their first trimester, and later diagnosed with gestational diabetes, an imbalance was detected in the gut microbial community. The study proved that the gut-microbiota alterations were the reason for gestational diabetes and not the other way around. The researchers developed an algorithm for the accurate prediction of gestational diabetes based on a few simple physiological tests. Early diagnosis of gestational diabetes and early intervention can reduce the proportion of women suffering from gestational diabetes, prevent severe complications, and save lives. This important study was carried out in collaboration with Prof. Yoram Louzoun from the Department of Mathematics at Bar-Ilan University and a member of the Dangoor Center for Personalized Medicine, as well as additional researchers and physicians from Israel, Finland, and the USA.

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