FOR THE BRAZILIAN GESTATIONAL DIABETES STUDY GROUPOBJECTIVE -To evaluate American Diabetes Association (ADA) and World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) against pregnancy outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -This cohort study consecutively enrolledBrazilian adult women attending general prenatal clinics. All women were requested to undertake a standardized 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between their estimated 24th and 28th gestational weeks and were then followed to delivery. New ADA criteria for GDM require two plasma glucose values Ն5.3 mmol/l (fasting), Ն10 mmol/l (1 h), and Ն8.6 mmol/l (2 h). WHO criteria require a plasma glucose Ն7.0 mmol/l (fasting) or Ն7.8 mmol/l (2 h). Individuals with hyperglycemia indicative of diabetes outside of pregnancy were excluded.RESULTS -Among the 4,977 women studied, 2.4% (95% CI 2.0 -2.9) presented with GDM by ADA criteria and 7.2% (6.5-7.9) by WHO criteria. After adjustment for the effects of age, obesity, and other risk factors, GDM by ADA criteria predicted an increased risk of macrosomia (RR 1.29, 95% CI 0.73-2.18), preeclampsia (2.28, 1.22-4.16), and perinatal death (3.10, 1.42-6.47). Similarly, GDM by WHO criteria predicted increased risk for macrosomia (1.45, 1.06 -1.95), preeclampsia (1.94, 1.22-3.03), and perinatal death (1.59, 0.86 -2.90). Of women positive by WHO criteria, 260 (73%) were negative by ADA criteria. Conversely, 22 (18%) women positive by ADA criteria were negative by WHO criteria.CONCLUSIONS -GDM based on a 2-h 75-g OGTT defined by either WHO or ADA criteria predicts adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Hypertensive disorders commonly complicate pregnancy in Brazilian women. Risk factors for these disorders appear similar to those reported in other countries. Use of an inappropriately sized cuff to measure blood pressure may result in many false-positive diagnoses in more obese women. The considerably lower frequency of hypertensive disorders found in Manaus, in the Amazon region, warrants further study.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of a high protein (HP) and a normal protein (NP) diet on patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and body mass index-matched controls in a sample of southern Brazilian women. This 8-week randomized trial was carried out at a university gynecological endocrinology clinic and included 18 patients with PCOS and 22 controls. Changes in weight, body composition, hormone, and metabolic profile were analyzed in women randomized to receive HP (30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 30% lipid) or NP (15% protein, 55% carbohydrate, and 30% lipid). The energy content was estimated for each participant at 20-25 kcal/kg current weight/day. Physical activity, blood pressure, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, and fasting and 2-h glucose and insulin remained stable during the intervention in PCOS and controls, even in the presence of weight loss. There were no changes in lipid profile in either group. In contrast, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, percent of body fat, and sum of trunk skinfolds decreased significantly after both diets in both groups. Total testosterone also decreased in PCOS and controls regardless of diet. In conclusion, calorie reduction, rather than protein content, seemed to affect body composition and hormonal profile in this short-term study. These findings emphasize the role of non-pharmacological interventions to reduce weight and ameliorate the anthropometric and clinical phenotype in PCOS.

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Central fat distribution measured in pregnancy is an independent predictor of gestational glucose intolerance. This finding supports the concept that NIDDM and gestational diabetes are parts of the same disease, differing basically in their moment of detection. The usefulness of these anthropometric measurements in identifying pregnant women at high risk of having gestational glucose intolerance merits further investigation.