A comparison of the effectiveness, tolerability and safety of high and low carbohydrate diets in women with gestational diabetes. Metabolic effects of 1200-kcal diet in obese pregnant women with gestational diabetes. [Adherence to a medical nutrition therapy program in pregnant women with diabetes, measured by three methods, and its association with glycemic control]. A randomised controlled trial of dietary energy restriction in the management of obese women with gestational diabetes. A randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a low-glycemic index diet on pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus. Effect of a low glycaemic index diet on blood glucose in women with gestational hyperglycaemia. Effect of a high monounsaturated fatty acid diet on blood pressure and glucose metabolism in women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Can a low-glycemic index diet reduce the need for insulin in gestational diabetes mellitus? A randomized trial.
Nutrition therapy is an integral part of the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Most women with GDM are treated by nutritional management alone. The goal of our study was to compare low and high carbohydrate diets in their effectiveness, safety and tolerability in women with GDM.
                The study group consisted of 30 Caucasian women newly diagnosed with GDM, with a mean age of 28.7 +/- 3.7 years and pregnancy duration of 29.2 +/- 5.4 weeks. The patients were randomised into two groups: those on a low and those on a high carbohydrate diet (45% vs. 65% respectively of energy supply coming from carbohydrates). The presence of urine ketones was controlled every day. After two weeks daily glucose profiles and compliance with the recommended diets were analysed.
                Glucose concentration before implementation of the diet regimen did not differ between groups. No changes in fasting blood glucose were noticed in the group that had followed a low carbohydrate diet, although a significant decrease in glucose concentration was observed after breakfast (102 +/- 16 vs. 94 +/- 11 mg/dl), lunch (105 +/- 12 vs. 99 +/- 9 mg/dl) and dinner (112 +/- 16 vs. 103 +/- 13 mg/dl) (p < 0.05). In the high carbohydrate diet group fasting and after-breakfast glucose concentration did not change. A significant decrease in glycaemia was noticed after lunch (106 +/- 15 vs. 96 +/- 7 mg/dl) and dinner (107 +/- 12 vs. 97 +/- 7 mg/dl) (p < 0.05). Ketonuria was not observed in either group. Obstetrical outcomes did not differ between groups.
                Both high and low carbohydrate diets are effective and safe. A diet with carbohydrate limitation should be recommended to women who experience the highest glycaemia levels after breakfast. Calorie restriction is widely used as a primary therapy for obese pregnant women with gestational diabetes. To better understand the metabolic consequences of marked calorie restriction, we performed a randomized prospective trial under metabolic ward conditions. Obese gestationally diabetic women were randomized to control (n = 5) and calorie-restricted (n = 7) groups. All patients consumed an approximately 2400-kcal/day diet during the 1st wk of the study, and at the end of the 1st wk, metabolic features of the two groups were statistically indistinguishable. During the 2nd wk, the control group continued to consume approximately 2400 kcal/day, whereas the calorie-restricted group consumed approximately 1200 kcal/day. Twenty-four-hour mean glucose levels remained unchanged in the control group (6.7 +/- 0.8 mM wk 1 vs. 6.8 +/- 0.8 mM wk 2), although they dropped dramatically in the calorie-restricted group (6.7 +/- 1.0 mM wk 1 vs. 5.4 +/- 0.5 mM wk 2, P less than 0.01). Fasting plasma insulin also declined in the calorie-restricted group (265 +/- 165 pM wk 1 vs. 145 +/- 130 pM wk 2), resulting in a significant change between groups (P less than 0.02). Surprisingly, fasting plasma glucose and glucose tolerance measured by the 3-h oral glucose tolerance test did not change within or between groups. Fasting levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate rose in the calorie-restricted group (290 +/- 240 microM wk 1 vs. 780 +/- 30 microM wk 2) but not in the control group (P less than 0.01). Finally, urine ketones increased significantly (P less than 0.02) in the calorie-restricted group, whereas they remained absent in the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) The measurement of adherence to nutrition therapy is essential to evaluate if the outcomes are related to given recommendations.
                The aim of this study was to describe adherence to a Medical Nutrition Therapy Program in Mexican pregnant women with diabetes, using three different methods; and evaluate its association with glycemic control. Adherence was measured with a questionnaire (0-100%), women's self-perception (0-100%) and energy intake adequacy by multiple pass 24 hour recall (85-115% of recommendation). Women were randomly assigned to two different dietary strategies. Glycemic control was determined by capillary glucose self-monitoring.
                Women analyzed in this study (n=69) had an age range of 22-42 years; 47.8% had type 2 diabetes (DM2) and 52.2% had gestational diabetes (GDM). Energy intake adequacy was higher in women with GDM (41.9% vs. 37.7%, p = 0.001). Average adherence measured with the questionnaire was 55%; no differences were found by type of diabetes. Self-perception was higher in women with DM2 (84%) when compared to women with GDM (70%) (p = 0.039). No differences were found in the three methods by study group. Optimal glycemic control was observed in 50% of women; no association was found with adherence measured with any of the three methods studied.
                The observed differences in adherences suggest that it may be recommendable to combine different measurement methods and include social and psychological factors that affect behavioral change. A randomised controlled trial was designed to determine the effect of moderate 30% maternal dietary energy restriction on the requirement for maternal insulin therapy and the incidence of macrosomia in gestational diabetes. Although the control group restricted their intake to a level similar to that of the intervention group (6,845 kiloJoules (kJ) versus 6,579 kJ), the resulting cohort could not identify any adverse effect of energy restriction in pregnancy. Energy restriction did not alter the frequency of insulin therapy (17.5% in the intervention group and 16.9% in the control group). Mean birthweight (3,461 g in the intervention group and 3,267 g in the control group) was not affected. There was a trend in the intervention group towards later gestational age at commencement of insulin therapy (33 weeks versus 31 weeks) and lower maximum daily insulin dose (23 units versus 60 units) which did not reach statistical significance. Energy restriction did not cause an increase in ketonemia. The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is rising. There is little evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of one dietary therapy over another. We aimed to investigate the effect of a low-glycemic index (LGI) versus a conventional high-fiber diet on pregnancy outcomes, neonatal anthropometry, and maternal metabolic profile in GDM.
                Ninety-nine women (age 26-42 years; mean ± SD prepregnancy BMI 24 ± 5 kg/m²) diagnosed with GDM at 20-32 weeks' gestation were randomized to follow either an LGI (n = 50; target glycemic index [GI] ~50) or a high-fiber moderate-GI diet (HF) (n = 49; target GI ~60). Dietary intake was assessed by 3-day food records. Pregnancy outcomes were collected from medical records.
                The LGI group achieved a modestly lower GI than the HF group (mean ± SEM 47 ± 1 vs. 53 ± 1; P < 0.001). At birth, there was no significant difference in birth weight (LGI 3.3 ± 0.1 kg vs. HF 3.3 ± 0.1 kg; P = 0.619), birth weight centile (LGI 52.5 ± 4.3 vs. HF 52.2 ± 4.0; P = 0.969), prevalence of macrosomia (LGI 2.1% vs. HF 6.7%; P = 0.157), insulin treatment (LGI 53% vs. HF 65%; P = 0.251), or adverse pregnancy outcomes.
                In intensively monitored women with GDM, an LGI diet and a conventional HF diet produce similar pregnancy outcomes. The objectives of this pilot study were to determine the feasibility and effect on glycaemic control of a low-glycaemic-index (GI) diet in women with gestational diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance of pregnancy.
                participants, recruited from the Diabetes-in-Pregnancy Clinic of an inner-city teaching hospital serving a predominantly non-Caucasian population, were randomized to a low-GI (n=23) or control (n=24) diet and followed from 28 weeks gestation until delivery. Self-monitored-blood-glucose (SMBG), maternal and infant weight were collected from medical charts. Dietary intakes were assessed using diet records and questionnaires.
                diet GI on control (58, 95% CI: 56,60) was significantly higher than on low-GI (49, 95% CI: 47,51; p=0.001). Glycaemic control improved on both diets, but more postprandial glucose values were within target on low-GI (58.4% of n=1891) than control (48.7% of n=1834; p<0.001). SMBG post-breakfast was directly related to pre-pregnancy BMI in the control, but not the low-GI group (BMI*diet interaction; p=0.021). Participants accepted the study foods and were willing to consume them post-intervention.
                a low-GI diet was feasible and acceptable in this sample and facilitated control of postprandial glucose. A larger study is needed to determine the effect of a low-GI diet on maternal and infant outcomes.
                2010. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. The effect of a diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) on blood pressure, glycemic control, lipids and insulin sensitivity was evaluated in women with gestational diabetes mellitus.
                A randomized, unpaired diet intervention was performed in 27 women with gestational diabetes mellitus in an outpatient clinic. After randomization the women received either a high-carbohydrate diet (H-CHO) or a high-MUFA diet (H-MUFA) from the 33rd gestational week of pregnancy. Outcome measures were 24 h ambulatory blood pressure, blood lipids, glycemic control and insulin sensitivity estimated by an intravenous glucose tolerance test.
                The 24 h diastolic blood pressure increased more in the H-CHO group than in the H-MUFA group (P<0.04).
                After 5 weeks of treatment with a MUFA-enriched diet, no increase in 24 h diastolic blood pressure and no adverse effects on blood lipids were seen. The favorable effect on the blood pressure by the MUFA diet is a possible non-medication treatment. The H-MUFA diet had no advantage to the H-CHO diet in ameliorating the decline of insulin sensitivity in third term of pregnancy in GDM. A low-glycemic index diet is effective as a treatment for individuals with diabetes and has been shown to improve pregnancy outcomes when used from the first trimester. A low-glycemic index diet is commonly advised as treatment for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, the efficacy of this advice and associated pregnancy outcomes have not been systematically examined. The purpose of this study was to determine whether prescribing a low-glycemic index diet for women with GDM could reduce the number of women requiring insulin without compromise of pregnancy outcomes.
                All women with GDM seen over a 12-month period were considered for inclusion in the study. Women (n = 63) were randomly assigned to receive either a low-glycemic index diet or a conventional high-fiber (and higher glycemic index) diet.
                Of the 31 women randomly assigned to a low-glycemic index diet, 9 (29%) required insulin. Of the women randomly assigned to a higher-glycemic index diet, a significantly higher proportion, 19 of 32 (59%), met the criteria to commence insulin treatment (P = 0.023). However, 9 of these 19 women were able to avoid insulin use by changing to a low-glycemic index diet. Key obstetric and fetal outcomes were not significantly different.
                Using a low-glycemic index diet for women with GDM effectively halved the number needing to use insulin, with no compromise of obstetric or fetal outcomes.