¹³C-glucose breath testing in gestational glucose intolerance: a prospective pilot study

Published: 9 September 2026| Version 1 | DOI: 10.17632/92jrnhnt4w.1
Contributors:
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,

Description

Aims: To evaluate the feasibility of an oral ¹³C-glucose breath test in pregnancy and the relationship between exogenous glucose oxidation and glycemia during a diagnostic 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).,Materials and Methods: This single-center prospective pilot study included 20 women with singleton pregnancies undergoing a 100-g OGTT before 33 weeks’ gestation. Participants ingested 100-g glucose containing 150 mg [U-¹³C₆]glucose after an overnight fast. Plasma glucose was measured at 0, 60, 120, and 180 min; breath samples were collected every 15 min for 3 h. Cumulative percent dose recovered (PDR) estimated exogenous glucose oxidation. Mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA and Pearson correlation were used. Results: All participants completed 3 h of breath sampling without adverse events. Fourteen had normal glucose tolerance, three impaired glucose tolerance, and three gestational diabetes mellitus. Cumulative PDR increased significantly over time (p<0.001) and was numerically lower with increasing glucose intolerance, although between-group differences were not significant. PDR at 3 h was inversely correlated with 3-h OGTT glucose AUC (r=-0.477, p=0.033). Conclusions: Three-hour ¹³C-glucose breath testing was feasible in pregnancy, and exogenous glucose oxidation was inversely associated with OGTT glycemia. These preliminary findings support further evaluation in larger pregnancy cohorts.

Files

Institutions

Categories

Diagnosis, Glucose Metabolism, Novel Stable Isotopes, Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnancy

Licence