Diet and Healthy Lifestyle in the Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among pregnant women increases the risk of both short-term and long-term complications, such as birth complications, babies large for gestational age (LGA), and type 2 diabetes in both mother and offspring. Lifestyle changes are essential in the management of GDM. In this review, we seek to provide an overview of the lifestyle changes which can be recommended in the management of GDM. The diet recommended for women with GDM should contain sufficient macronutrients and micronutrients to support the growth of the foetus and, at the same time, limit postprandial glucose excursions and encourage appropriate maternal gestational weight gain. Blood glucose excursions and hyperglycaemic episodes depend on carbohydrate-intake. Therefore, nutritional counselling should focus on the type, amount, and distribution of carbohydrates in the diet. Further, physical activity has beneficial effects on glucose and insulin levels and it can contribute to a better glycaemic control.

Maternal Serum Albumin Redox State Is Associated with Infant Birth Weight in Japanese Pregnant Women

“…Another limitation of this study may be that one hospital among the three adopted only fasting serum glucose concentration for the diagnosis of GDM, instead of using an oral glucose tolerance test, while the other two hospital adopted oral glucose tolerance tests. Exclusion of subjects with GDM might have been insufficient in the present study, which could also have attenuated the association between serum reduced ALB ratio and infant birth weight [ 22 , 28 ]. Regarding the limitation of the animal study, while the involvement of gestation period was implicated for the correlation between serum reduced ALB ratio and infant birth weight in the human observational study, it was not able to be evaluated in this animal study because of their very short gestational period (all the dams delivered on PD22).…”

“…Among the 379 participants, 270 completed all three medical examinations during pregnancy, and gave birth. For the analyses of this study, 4 subjects were excluded as they had multiple pregnancies, 8 subjects were excluded as they had missing data on blood biochemistry, and 29 subjects were excluded as they were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus (DM/GDM); DM is a risk factor for large for gestational age rather than premature delivery [ 28 ], and DM/GDM per se affects serum ALB redox state [ 22 ]. The remaining 229 participants were included in the analyses ( Figure 1 ).…”

<p>Effect of Elevated Ketone Body on Maternal and Infant Outcome of Pregnant Women with Abnormal Glucose Metabolism During Pregnancy</p>

“…The latest literature suggests that the carbohydrate content intake of pregnant women with abnormal blood glucose should be individualized by clinical dietitians, and attention should be paid to the type of carbohydrates, and starch foods with higher dietary fiber should be selected as the main food. 36 •The incidence of ketosis in pregnant women increases when the calorie intake is lower than 1500 kcal per day, and the control of 1600 to 1800 kcal per day will not lead to an increase in ketone bodies.…”

“…The latest literature suggests that the carbohydrate content intake of pregnant women with abnormal blood glucose should be individualized by clinical dietitians, and attention should be paid to the type of carbohydrates, and starch foods with higher dietary fiber should be selected as the main food. 36 If dietary education is ineffective and women with abnormal blood glucose in pregnancy fail to follow or adjust their dietary plan without authorization, they may have abnormal blood glucose or blood ketones caused by improper diet. However, some scholars consider that diet control during pregnancy, especially the restriction of carbohydrate intake, will increase the possibility of ketosis.…”

Gebeli̇kte Beslenme Durumu İle Glukoz Toleransi Arasindaki̇ İli̇şki̇ler

“…Bunlara hipertansiyon ve fetal makrozomi gibi doğumun zor ve riskli olmasına yol açan durumlar da dahildir. Gebelikte hipergliseminin tanımlanması ve glukoz kontrolünün sağlanması ile bu riskler azaltılabilir (6,7).…”