Nutritional therapy for gestational diabetes mellitus: what does the evidence say?

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease that is characterized by glucose intolerance first recognized during pregnancy but does not meet the criteria of overt diabetes. Gestational DM is a major medico-social issue because it is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The primary method of gestational DM treatment is nutrition therapy, which can be supplemented with antihyperglycemic agents. Lifestyle modification has shown to be effective in preventing the complications of gestational diabetes mellitus. Despite this fact, there is no consensus on which dietary recommendations should be recommended in case of glucose intolerance during pregnancy. Most of the current guideline recommendations suggest controlling carbohydrate or calorie intake, diet with a low glycemic index, and Mediterranean or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet. Another essential aspect of nutrition therapy in gestational DM is the safety of diet outcomes for both mothers and their offspring. This review aimed to evaluate the current recommendations for gestational diabetes mellitus nutrition management and their supporting evidence. Along with this the goal was to the review common and uncommon proposed gestational diabetes mellitus diets and ultimately and provide an analysis of their safety and efficacy and the possibility of application in clinical practice for the treatment of patients with gestational diabetes mellitus.