Effect of a low glycaemic index diet in gestational diabetes mellitus on post-natal outcomes after 3 months of birth: A pilot follow-up study

Abstract

© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. A low glycaemic index (LGI) diet during pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may offer benefits to the mother and infant pair beyond those during pregnancy. We aimed to investigate the effect of an LGI diet during pregnancy complicated with GDM on early post-natal outcomes. Fifty-eight women (age: 23-41 years; mean±SD pre-pregnancy body mass index: 24.5±5.6kgm^-2) who had GDM and followed either an LGI diet (n=33) or a conventional high-fibre diet (HF; n=25) during pregnancy had a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and blood lipid tests at 3 months post-partum. Anthropometric assessments were conducted for 55 mother-infant pairs. The glycaemic index of the antenatal diets differed modestly (mean±SD: 46.8±5.4 vs. 52.4±4.4; P<0.001), but there were no significant differences in any of the post-natal outcomes. In conclusion, an LGI diet during pregnancy complicated by GDM has outcomes similar to those of a conventional healthy diet. Adequately powered studies should explore the potential beneficial effects of LGI diet on risk factors for chronic disease.