Association between Dietary Glycemic Index and Excess Weight in Pregnant Women in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

Abstract

Objective To assess the association between dietary glycemic index (GI) and excess weight in pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy. Methods A cross-sectional study in a sample of 217 pregnant women was conducted at the maternal-fetal outpatient clinic of the Hospital Geral de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, state of Ceará, Brazil, for routine ultrasound examinations in the period between 11 and 13 weeks + 6 days of gestation. Weight and height were measured and the gestational body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The women were questioned about their usual body weight prior to the gestation, considering the prepregnancy weight. The dietary GI and the glycemic load (GL) of their diets were calculated and split into tertiles. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Kruskal-Walls and chi-squared (χ2) statistical tests were employed. A crude logistic regression model and a model adjusted for confounding variables known to influence biological outcomes were constructed. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant for all tests employed. Results The sample group presented a high percentage of prepregnancy and gestational overweight (39.7% and 40.1%, respectively). In the tertile with the higher GI value, there was a lower dietary intake of total fibers (p = 0.005) and of soluble fibers (p = 0.008). In the third tertile, the dietary GI was associated with overweight in pregnant women in the first trimester of gestation, both in the crude model and in the model adjusted for age, total energy intake, and saturated fatty acids. However, this association was not observed in relation to the GL. Conclusion A high dietary GI was associated with excess weight in women in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The association of dietary glycaemic index and glycaemic load with gestational weight gain and newborn birth weight

“…A reduction in weekly GWG while dietary GI increased seems contrary to our initial hypothesis and differs from the results obtained by a clinical trial involving Irish pregnant women, in which the women in the intervention group (counselling on low-GI diet) gained less weight than those in the control group (29) . It is worth highlighting that the GI values reported in the Irish study are close to those obtained in the present study (59•0) and to those of a recent Brazilian study on maternal dietary GI (2nd tertile, 57•5-58•2) (30) .…”

Food glycemic index changes in overweight/obese pregnant women enrolled in a lifestyle program: a randomized controlled trial

“…33 Such a deleterious effect has also been reported in pregnant women and in women with excessive weight gain in the first trimester. 34 Previous studies that have implemented a low-GI diet for pregnant women reported improved outcomes, such as longer gestational age and prevention of preterm birth. 12,35 However, data remain controversial as to whether a low-GI diet is able to affect birthweight.…”

Effect of BMI on blood value of patients on HCG day with IUI treatment

“…To date, the most widely accepted mechanism is that the balance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis is disrupted in obese women. Insulin resistance and leptin resistance often occurs [10][11][12][13][14], and the level of free fatty acids in the blood of obese people is higher, which can directly inhibit Gn synthesis. Furthermore, the leptin secreted by fat cells interferes with the HPO axis, thereby affecting the Gn release, and resulting in decreased levels of estradiol (E 2 ), luteotropic hormone (LH) and progesterone (P) in serum [15].…”