Eating habits slightly change after gestational diabetes diagnosis: NIH study

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Findings highlight disparities by race/ethnicity, education level, age and obesity status

Pregnant women made only modest dietary changes after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Women with gestational diabetes are generally advised to reduce their carbohydrate intake, and the women in the study did cut their daily intake of juice and added sugars. They also increased their intake of cheese and artificially sweetened beverages.

However, certain groups of women did not reduce their carbohydrate intake, including women with obesity, who had more than one child, were Hispanic, had a high school degree or less, or were between the ages of 35-41 years.

Patients with gestational (or pregnancy-related) diabetes have a higher risk of maternal high blood pressure, larger babies, cesarean delivery, low blood sugar in newborns, and development of chronic diabetes later in life.

“The improvements in diet that we observed were not equitable across all groups of women,” said Dr Hinkle. “This research highlights the importance of creating individualised programmes to ensure that all women with gestational diabetes are successful at modifying their diet and optimising their health.”

In the study, women with gestational diabetes limited their daily carbohydrate intake by 48 grams primarily by reducing their juice consumption by about 0.4 cups per day and reducing their added sugar consumption by about 3.2 teaspoons per day. Their consumption of cheese increased by 0.3 cups per day and artificially sweetened beverages increased by 0.2 cups per day.

In addition, the team found that women with gestational diabetes did not reduce their consumption of whole grains or whole fruit, nor did they compensate for their dietary changes by increasing saturated fats. The authors write that these observations are reassuring given that complex carbohydrates from whole grains or fruits may be beneficial for gestational diabetes, while saturated fats can worsen health outcomes by promoting excessive fetal growth.

The authors have called for more research to identify innovative approaches that are more effective in changing nutrition and exercise-related behaviours.

 

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