Women who followed Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy lower risk of gestational diabetes
A new study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, now says that women who follow a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy may have a lower risk of gestational diabetes. Notably, gestational diabetes is first seen in a pregnant woman who did not have diabetes before she was pregnant. The research was conducted using a sample of 1,252 multi-ethnic inner-city pregnant women with metabolic risk factors, including obesity and chronic hypertension.
Apart from receiving folic acid and vitamin D supplementation, the women were randomly assigned to either a Mediterranean-style diet or a control group that received dietary advice per UK national recommendations for prenatal care and weight management during pregnancy.
Those following the Mediterranean diet were given a daily portion of nuts, including 15 gms of walnuts, 7.5 gms of almonds, 7.5 gms of hazelnuts and consumed food cooked in extra virgin olive oil.
The diet also emphadata-sized fruit, vegetables, non-refined grains and legumes; moderate to high consumption of fish; small to moderate intake of poultry and dairy products; low intake of red meat and processed meat; and avoidance of sugary drinks, fast food, and food rich in animal-based fat.