Question: Is Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women associated with gestational diabetes?

Context:
Insufficient serum levels of 25-OHD were associated with gestational diabetes (pooled odds ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.18 to 1.89
Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, p
Therefore, it is important to identify potentially modifiable risk factors for GDM. Accumulating evidence links vitamin D deficiency with abnormal glucose metabolism, and epidemiological studies have shown that women who develop GDM are more likely to be vitamin D deficient
This review discusses the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of GDM and vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women, outlines the possible mechanism of action of vitamin D in glucose homeostasis, and summarizes emerging evidence that associates vitamin D deficiency with the risk of developing GDM
Women with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level less than 50 nmol/l in pregnancy experienced an increased risk of preeclampsia [OR 2.09 (95%CI 1.50 -2.90)], gestational diabetes mellitus [OR1.38 (1.12-1.70)]
Low maternal vitamin D levels in pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus,
Association between vitamin D insufficiency and the risk for gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant Chinese women
25OHD insufficiency is very common in Chinese women. Low 25OHD status may be associated with insulin resistance and act as a risk factor for GDM.
Second-trimester 25(OH)D levels were associated inversely with glucose levels after 1-hour 50-g glucose challenge test; low 25(OH)D levels may be associated with increased risk of GDM.
Two hundred sixty-six women were screened. Vitamin D deficiency (25[OH]D <20 ng/mL) was observed in 157 women (59%). We observed an inverse correlation between 25(OH)D levels and hemoglobin A1c, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, serum insulin, and fasting and 1-hour oral glucose tolerance test glucose levels
Lower 25(OH)D levels are associated with disorders of glucose homeostasis and adverse obstetric and newborn outcomes.
An association between mid-gestational 25-hydroxy vitamin D and fasting glucose was confirmed in a largely normoglycaemic and vitamin D-replete pregnant population. The correlation between 25-hydroxy vitamin D and β-cell function suggests that vitamin D may influence glucose metabolism through this mechanism.
Women with gestational diabetes had significantly lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D compared with control subjects (56.3 vs. 62.0 nmol/l, P = 0.018). After adjusting for gestational age and maternal weight, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D below the top quartile (< 73.5 nmol/l) was associated with a twofold greater likelihood of gestational diabetes (adjusted odds ratio 2.21, 95% confidence interval 1.19-4.13). CONCLUSIONS: Lower vitamin D status in early pregnancy was associated with a significantly increased risk of subsequent gestational diabetes that was independent of race, age, season and maternal weight. This study suggests that vitamin D may influence glucose tolerance during pregnancy
Vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women is frequent in many populations over the world. It is associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, and caesarean section
Consequences in newborns are low birth weight, neonatal rickets, a risk of neonatal hypocalcemia, asthma and/or type 1 diabetes.
A single injection of 300,000 IU of vitamin D3 achieves a 3-month serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D range of 50-80 nmol/l and is an efficient, effective and safe procedure for improving the vitamin status and indices of insulin resistance in mothers with gestational diabetes after delivery.
In a cohort of pregnant women with mostly sufficient levels of serum 25(OH)D, vitamin D deficiency was not associated with GDM.
The aim of the study is evaluating the associations of FokI vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and its relations with postpartum metabolic syndrome.
Our results indicate a meaningful association between FokI VDR genotypes and an increase risk of GDM in Iranian population as well as its effects on postpartum metabolic syndrome.
The first-trimester maternal serum level of 25(OH)D is not altered in women with type 2 diabetes, those who develop GDM or those who deliver LGA neonates.
Lower 25(OH)D levels are independently associated with poorer glycaemic control. Future randomised trials are needed to determine whether vitamin D plays a role in glycaemic control in GDM.
These results suggested that rates of vitamin D deficiency are higher among women with IGT/GDM, and the relationship between vitamin D status and glucose tolerance in pregnancy needs further study.
It appears that vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy is potentially associated with increased risk of preeclampsia, insulin resistance and gestational diabetes mellitus
Mean serum 25OHD concentration was 53.8 +/- 23.9 nmol/l (sd). Ln-25OHD was negatively correlated with serum parathyroid hormone as expected (r -0.24, confidence intervals -0.35 to -0.12). Ln-25OHD was also negatively correlated with fasting plasma glucose (r-0.20, -0.31 to -0.08), fasting insulin (r -0.20, -0.31 to -0.08) and insulin resistance as calculated by homeostasis model assessment (r -0.21, -0.32 to -0.09). The association between fasting glucose and log-transformed 25OHD concentration was of borderline significance after accounting for ethnicity, age and body mass index in multivariate analyses (-0.13, -0.26 to 0.01). The odds ratio of gestational diabetes in women with 25OHD < 50 nmol/l did not reach statistical significance (1.92, 95% confidence interval 0.89-4.17). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal 25OHD concentrations are inversely related to fasting glucose, although further studies are required to establish whether this is independent of the effects of ethnic background.
Vitamin D insufficiency is common in Indian mothers but is not associated with gestational diabetes or variation in newborn size.
There was no association between maternal 25(OH)D and gestational diabetes (incidence 7% in women with and without hypovitaminosis D)
In mothers with hypovitaminosis D, higher 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with lower 30-min glucose concentrations (P=0.03) and higher fasting proinsulin concentrations (P=0.04)
Hypovitaminosis D at 30 weeks gestation is common in Mysore mothers. It is not associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes,
Total prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L) was found in 70.6% of pregnant women. Prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency (<12.5) in GDM patients was higher than in normoglycaemic pregnancies.
These results show that a positive correlation of 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations with insulin sensitivity and vitamin D deficiency could be a confirmative sign of insulin resistance.
was to examine whether maternal dietary intake of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids during pregnancy is associated with the appearance of islet autoimmunity (IA) in offspring
Maternal intake of vitamin D via food was significantly associated with a decreased risk of IA appearance in offspring, independent of HLA genotype, family history of type 1 diabetes, presence of gestational diabetes mellitus, and ethnicity (adjusted HR = 0.37; 95% CI 0.17-0.78). Vitamin D intake via supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids intake during pregnancy were not associated with appearance of IA in offspring. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that maternal intake of vitamin D through food during pregnancy may have a protective effect on the appearance of IA in offspring.

Answer: Yes, there are multiple studies reporting an association between low VitD in pregnancy and impaired glucose tolerance, but it is not entirely clear if this translates directly to the increased risk of Gestational diabetes or via maternal obesity and/or genetic polymorphisms.
Exact answer: yes