Women who follow a Mediterranean-style diet, which is rich in nuts, vegetables, fruits, extra virgin olive oil and unsaturated fats, during pregnancy may have a lower risk of gestational diabetes, according to researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Warwick in the UK.
Pregnant woman who do not have diabetes before she got pregnant may show symptoms of a type of diabetes called gestational diabetes. Women who followed a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy had a 35 per cent lower risk of gestational diabetes and on average gained 2.75 pounds less, compared to women who received standard prenatal care.
The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, was done using a sample of 1,252 multi-ethnic inner-city pregnant women with metabolic risk factors, including obesity and chronic hypertension.
In addition to receiving folic acid and vitamin D supplementation, the women were randomly assigned to either a Mediterranean-style diet or a control group that received dietary advice per UK national recommendations for prenatal care and weight management during pregnancy.
Participants received dietary advice at 18, 20, and 28 weeks' gestation to help improve compliance and make sure the diet was made culturally sensitive.
While there has been extensive research on the Mediterranean diet to date, the diet's potential to improve maternal and offspring outcomes has not been widely evaluated, making this study particularly valuable.
Those who followed the Mediterranean diet consumed a daily portion of nuts, including 15 grammes of walnuts, 7.5 grammes of almonds, 7.5 grammes of hazelnuts) and used extra virgin olive oil as their main source of cooking fat. Walnuts, in particular, are a traditional food in the Mediterranean diet because of their omega-3 ALA content and bioactive compounds.
In addition, the diet emphasised fruit, vegetables, non-refined grains and legumes; moderate to high consumption of fish; small to moderate intake of poultry and dairy products; low intake of red meat and processed meat; and avoidance of sugary drinks, fast food, and food rich in animal-based fat.
The researchers measured dietary compliance using self-reported feedback from the participants, so it's important to note that there could have been human error in the reporting.
They also assessed the effect of a Mediterranean diet on other pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, stillbirth, small for gestational age fetus, or admission to a neonatal care unit, but did not find any significant associations.
One in four mothers enter pregnancy with pre-existing obesity, chronic hypertension or raised lipid levels, which can lead to pregnancy complications, long-term risk of diabetes and cardiovascular complications for mothers and their children.
(With PTI inputs)
