BACKGROUND:

When pregnant women are deficient in zinc, this deficiency may be a contributing factor to foetal disorders, such as congenital malformations and other developmental disorders.

OBJECTIVE:

To identify the relevant aspects of the current state of knowledge of the complications of diabetes in pregnant women and zinc deficiency in the foetus. In addition, to explain the possible consequences of micronutrient deficiency, among other underlying molecular causes.

METHODOLOGY:

Bibliographic review carried out in Google, PubMed-Medline and SciELO databases of articles published in English or Spanish from 2012 to 2022, with the MeSH: Maternal diabetes; Hyperglycemia; Zinc deficiency; Congenital malformations; Epigenetics; with their corresponding translation into Spanish. Selection criteria: original articles, prospective studies, literature reviews, meta-analyses, book chapters and reports of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Latin American Diabetes Association (ALAD).

RESULTS:

187 articles were located of which 126 unsuitable for the review topic, duplicates or in language other than English and Spanish were excluded.

CONCLUSIONS:

The literature review evidenced that metabolic disorders caused by maternal hyperglycemia, zinc deficiency, alteration of its homeostasis and its interaction with redox imbalance, low-grade inflammation, apoptotic activation and epigenetic modifications produce an adverse intrauterine environment that conditions the appearance of malformations and other developmental disorders in the offspring.

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