Pre-pregnancy dietary patterns and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: results from an Australian population-based prospective cohort study

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis We examined the associations between prepregnancy dietary patterns and the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a population-based cohort study of women of reproductive age. Methods The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health included 3,853 women without pre-existing diabetes who were followed-up between 2003 and 2012. Prepregnancy dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis based on 101 food items from a validated food frequency questionnaire. GDM was self-reported and validated in a subsample. Multivariable regression models with generalised estimating equations were used to estimate RR and 95% CI. Results During 9 years follow-up, 292 GDM cases (4.4%) were documented in 6,626 pregnancies. No associations were found for the 'Fruit and low-fat dairy' and 'Cooked vegetables' patterns. The 'Meats, snacks and sweets' pattern was associated with higher GDM risk after adjustment for socioeconomic, reproductive and lifestyle factors (RR [95% CI] per SD increase in score: 1.38 [1.02, 1.86]). Further adjustment for BMI attenuated the results (1. 35 [0.98, 1.81]). In stratified analysis, the 'Meats, snacks and sweets' pattern was associated with significantly higher GDM risk in parous and obese women, and in women with lower educational qualifications. The 'Mediterranean-style' pattern was associated with lower GDM risk in the fully adjusted model (0.85 [0.76, 0.98]). Conclusions/interpretation These findings support general dietary recommendations for women of reproductive age to consume a diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fish, and low in red and processed meats and snacks. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Pre-pregnancy potato consumption and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: prospective cohort study

“…Findings from the present study raise concerns about such guidance. Our findings, together with data from other studies, [34][35][36][37][38] further highlight the potential role of pre-pregnancy diet in the development of GDM. Future intervention studies are warranted to confirm these findings.…”

Risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in relation to maternal dietary calcium intake

“…Since previous studies focused on dairy foods instead of calcium intake and GDM risk [18, 19], the role of calcium cannot be singled out in these studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the risk of GDM in relation to maternal dietary calcium intake during the periconceptional period.…”

“…For instance, Bao and coworkers reported no statistically significant associations between pre-pregnancy intake of total dairy products intake (high fat and low fat diary) and GDM risk in the Nurse Health Study II [18]. Pre-pregnancy low-fat dairy and fruit intake pattern was not significantly associated with reduced risk of GDM in Australian women [19]. Our results showed no associations with total dairy intake; however, we noted statistically significant inverse associations of GDM risk with maternal habitual consumption of low-fat dairy and these associations were independent of other GDM risk factors.…”

Metabolic Regulation of Methionine Restriction in Diabetes

“…Meanwhile, dietary restriction is the most promising dietary regimen for various metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and obesity . In patients with diabetes and in experimental models, dietary restriction improves insulin sensitivity and retards diabetes‐related complications …”

“…[14][15][16][17] In patients with diabetes and in experimental models, dietary restriction improves insulin sensitivity and retards diabetes-related complications. [18,19] Many of the benefits of dietary restriction on diabetes in model organisms are due to protein and amino acid restriction in the diet and the stimulation of specific amino acid-sensing pathways, such as circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), insulin-like growth factor, GCN2, and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (TOR). [20,21] Among 20 amino acids, methionine restriction (MR) has recently received much attention for its beneficial effects on life span, stress resistance, metabolic fitness, and antioxidant function.…”