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.
‘Eating habits change only slightly after gestational diabetes diagnosis. These findings thereby highlight the disparities by race/ethnicity, education level, age and obesity status.’
“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 individualized programs to ensure that all women with gestational diabetes are successful at modifying their diet and optimizing their health.”
The study team analyzed an existing set of data from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies, which included surveys on diet and exercise from a diverse group of women at 12 hospital centers across the country.
The analysis on diet included 1,371 women, of which 72 had gestational diabetes. The study team also examined exercise routines and that analysis included 1,875 women, of which 84 had gestational diabetes.
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 researchers also found that women with gestational diabetes maintained the same amount of time in moderate or vigorous exercises into their third trimester.
However, women who did not have gestational diabetes reduced their moderate exercise activities during their third trimester by approximately 20 minutes per week and their vigorous exercise by approximately 9 minutes per week.
According to the study authors, the findings show that healthcare providers still have many opportunities to help women with gestational diabetes make greater gains and changes in diet and exercise. The authors called for more research to identify innovative approaches that are more effective in changing nutrition and exercise-related behaviors.
Source: Medindia
