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Diet and weight gain characteristics of pregnant women with gestational diabetes

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages 1433–1440 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

To determine if women with gestational diabetes (GD) modify their diet and nutrient intake in late pregnancy and gain more weight during pregnancy compared with women without GD.

Subjects/Methods:

Food and nutrient intake of 3613 pregnant women was studied using food frequency questionnaires from the Type I Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Nutrition Study.

Results:

GD was reported in 4.8% of the participating women (n=174). Women with GD gained less weight during pregnancy than those unaffected by GD (mean 9.4 vs 12.6 kg, P<0.001). Women with GD consumed more milk products (84 vs 76 g/MJ, P=0.002), cereal products (21 vs 18 g/MJ, P<0.001), vegetables (32 vs 22 g/MJ, P<0.001) and meat (16 vs 14 g/MJ, P<0.001) than unaffected women. The intake of protein (18 vs 16 percent of total daily energy intake, P<0.001) and dietary fibre (3.1 vs 2.4 g/MJ, P<0.001) was higher, whereas the intake of sugars (13.3 vs 15.0 g/MJ, P<0.001) and saturated fatty acids (3.49 vs 3.98 g/MJ, P<0.001) was lower among women with GD. The nutrient density of the diet was higher in women with GD with higher intakes of vitamins A and D, folate and iron.

Conclusions:

The late pregnancy diet of women with GD differed considerably from that of unaffected women. Women with GD had a higher body weight at the beginning of the pregnancy, but they gained less weight during pregnancy. These findings indicate that abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy encourages women to modify their dietary habits towards healthier food choices.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Academy of Finland (Grants 63672, 79685, 79686, 80846, 201988 and 210632), the Finnish Pediatric Research Foundation, the Juho Vainio Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes, Medical Research Funds, Turku, Oulu and Tampere University Hospitals, JDRF (Grants 197032, 4-1998-274, 4-1999-731 and 4-2001-435), Novo Nordisk Foundation and EU Biomed 2 Program (BMH4-CT98-3314). We express our gratitude to the children and parents who participated and we want to thank the DIPP research nurses, doctors, nutritionists and laboratory staff for excellent collaboration. We are grateful to Marianne Prasad for language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Lifestyle and Participation, Nutrition Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

    M Salmenhaara, L Uusitalo, U Uusitalo, C Kronberg-Kippilä, H Sinkko & S M Virtanen

  2. Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland

    M Salmenhaara, L Uusitalo, S Ahonen & S M Virtanen

  3. Research Unit, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

    S Ahonen, M Knip, M Kaila & S M Virtanen

  4. Department of Paediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    R Veijola

  5. Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    M Knip

  6. Paediatrics Unit, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

    M Knip, M Kaila & S M Virtanen

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  1. M Salmenhaara
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  2. L Uusitalo
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Correspondence to M Salmenhaara.

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Salmenhaara, M., Uusitalo, L., Uusitalo, U. et al. Diet and weight gain characteristics of pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Eur J Clin Nutr 64, 1433–1440 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.167

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