Dietary Intake in Early Pregnancy and Glycemia in Late Pregnancy among Women with Obesity

Abstract

Women with obesity have increased risk for hyperglycemia during pregnancy, with negative health consequences for mother and child. We aimed to investigate adherence to nutritional recommendations in early pregnancy and to examine associations between early pregnancy dietary intake and late pregnancy glycemia among women with obesity. We included 120 women with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 who participated in one of two randomized controlled trials. The participants completed a food frequency questionnaire in early pregnancy (gestational weeks 12–22). Fasting and 120 min glucose tolerance after ingestion of 75 g glucose were assessed in late pregnancy (gestational weeks 32–37). About 90% of the participants reported early pregnancy diary intake within the recommendations. Average intakes of vitamin D, iron, and folate were below recommended levels. High intakes of dairy products and protein in early pregnancy were associated with lower fasting glucose in late pregnancy, whereas high intake of bread was associated with lower 120 min glucose. There were no clear associations between single dietary variables and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) diagnosis in late pregnancy. In conclusion, some early pregnancy dietary variables were associated with late pregnancy glycemia. Potential causality of these findings should be investigated in future studies.