A meta-analysis of nearly 50 scientific studies suggests that gestational diabetes—a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy—may have long-term consequences not only for mothers' health but also for their children's brain development.

The research, being presented next week at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, combined results from more than nine million pregnancies across 20 countries.

It found that women who developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy experienced measurable declines in intellectual function.

Moreover, their children were more likely to face developmental challenges, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Gestational diabetes affects about 14 per

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