INS and gestational diabetes: Experimental and clinical studies have shown that placental insulin/IGF-1 pathway is promoted in GDM, as with energy-dense diets, increasing the activation of several downstream molecules, particularly mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), that augments nutrient transport across the placenta (73, 74) and regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and function (75, 76).